Shear-Strain Controlled High-Harmonic Generation in Graphene

TL;DR

This paper introduces a shear-strain-based method to control high-harmonic generation in graphene, enabling significant modulation of light emission through band structure engineering at van Hove singularities.

Contribution

It presents a novel approach to modulate HHG in graphene using shear strain, exploiting resonance at van Hove singularities for enhanced control.

Findings

Shear strain can significantly enhance or quench HHG in graphene.

Resonance at van Hove singularities enables this control.

Band structure changes due to shear strain affect HHG efficiency.

Abstract

We propose a novel method for controlling the high-harmonic generation (HHG) with a high dynamic range in single-layer graphene. We find that, by utilizing shear strain, a significant enhancement or quenching of HHG is possible over a range of several orders of magnitude. This feature is made possible by the resonance mechanism at a van Hove singularity. Therein, the shear strain controls the configurations of the two Dirac cones, resulting in changes in the energy and dipole moment at the saddle point of the band dispersion. Our findings provide a way for modulating or switching light by using a nano-optomechanical device composed of single-layer graphene.