Harmonic generation in bent graphene with artificially-enhanced spin-orbit coupling

TL;DR

This paper explores how bending graphene with enhanced spin-orbit coupling affects its nonlinear optical response, revealing potential for tunable light conversion across a broad spectrum.

Contribution

It introduces a theoretical framework for understanding nonlinear harmonic generation in bent graphene with artificially enhanced spin-orbit coupling, including spin-field interactions.

Findings

Control of spin-orbit coupling tunes nonlinear signal spectrum

Potential for efficient THz to UV light conversion

Interplay between bending-induced magnetic fields and spin-orbit effects

Abstract

We theoretically investigate the nonlinear response of bent graphene, in the presence of artificially-enhanced spin-orbit coupling, which can occur either via adatom deposition, or by placing the sheet of bent graphene in contact with a spin-orbit active substrate. We discuss the interplay between the spin-orbit coupling and the artificial magnetic field generated by the bending, for both the cases of Rashba and intrinsic spin-orbit coupling. For the latter, we introduce a spin-field interaction Hamiltonian addressing directly the electron spin as a degree of freedom. Our findings reveal that in this case, by controlling the amount of spin-orbit coupling, it is possible to significantly tune the spectrum of the nonlinear signal, achieving, in principle, efficient conversion of light from THz to UV region.