Controllable photocurrent generation in Dirac systems with two frequency drives

TL;DR

This paper investigates how two-frequency light can dynamically control photocurrents in Dirac and Weyl semimetals, revealing mechanisms for tunable optoelectronic responses in topological materials.

Contribution

It demonstrates that two-frequency irradiation induces controllable bulk photovoltaic effects in centrosymmetric Dirac and Weyl semimetals, highlighting the role of tilt and symmetry.

Findings

Photocurrent direction and magnitude can be tuned by light parameters.

Tilt of Dirac cones affects photocurrent anisotropy.

Both shift and injection currents contribute to BPVE.

Abstract

We study the bulk photovoltaic effect (BPVE) in Dirac and Weyl semimetals under two-frequency light irradiation. We show that the BPVE emerges for centrosymmetric Dirac and Weyl semimetals in the presence of light fields with frequencies $\Omega$ and $2\Omega$. The BPVE under the two frequency drive involves both shift current contribution independent of the carriers lifetime $\tau$ and the injection current contribution $\propto \tau$. Our calculations indicate that the photocurrent's direction, magnitude and type can be dynamically controlled by tuning parameters of the driving fields. Furthermore, we find that the tilt of the Dirac cone significantly affects the photocurrent, particularly in mirror symmetry-lacking Weyl semimetals, leading to an anisotropic optical response. These findings provide new insights into the dynamic control of photocurrents in topological semimetals, offering promising applications for optoelectronic devices.