Photo-magnetization in two-dimensional sliding ferroelectrics

TL;DR

This paper predicts that light illumination can induce and control magnetic moments in two-dimensional sliding ferroelectric materials, providing a new optical method to detect and manipulate their ferroelectric phase.

Contribution

It introduces a theoretical framework showing how light can generate and switch magnetic moments in 2D sliding ferroelectrics, linking optical response to ferroelectric switching.

Findings

Light induces non-equilibrium magnetic moments of 0.1-1 μB.

Magnetization sign depends on sliding dipole orientation.

Photo-magnetization can be detected via magneto-optical effects.

Abstract

Light-matter interaction is one of the key routes to understanding and manipulating geometric and electronic behaviors of materials, especially two-dimensional materials which are optically accessible owing to their high surface to volume ratio. In the current work we focus on the recently discovered two-dimensional sliding ferroelectric materials, in which the out-of-plane electric polarization can be switched with a small horizontal translation in one layer. Combining symmetry analysis and first-principles calculations, we predict that light illumination could inject non-equilibrium magnetic moments into the sliding ferroelectrics. Such magnetic moment is composed of both spin and orbital degrees of freedom contributions. We use $\mathrm{ZrI}_2$, $\mathrm{WTe}_2$, and $\mathrm{MoS}_2$ bilayer ferroelectrics to illustrate our theory. Under intermediate light illumination, one can yield non-equilibrium magnetic moments on the order of $0.1-1$ $\mu_B$ in these systems, which also depends on the polarization nature of incident light. Furthermore, we show that such photo-injected magnetism changes its sign when the sliding dipole moment switches. This photo-magnetization can be detected by magneto-optical methods (such as Kerr or Faraday effect), which serves as an indicator of sliding ferroelectricity. Hence, one can use an all-optical pump and probe setup to measure and detect the subtle sliding ferroelectric phase.