Inverse Faraday effect in disordered two-dimensional electronic systems

TL;DR

This paper develops a quantum field theory-based model for the inverse Faraday effect in disordered 2D metals with Rashba spin-orbit coupling, revealing how magnetization depends on frequency, disorder, and spin-orbit strength.

Contribution

It provides a novel theoretical framework for understanding the inverse Faraday effect in disordered 2D systems with Rashba coupling, including frequency-dependent magnetization behavior.

Findings

Magnetization direction can reverse depending on frequency and disorder.

At high frequencies, magnetization scales with the square of spin-orbit coupling.

Induced magnetization decreases rapidly with increasing frequency, proportional to the inverse fifth power.

Abstract

I formulate a theory of the inverse Faraday effect in impure two-dimensional metallic system with lifted spin degeneracy induced by Rashba spin-orbit coupling. Using the formalism of non-equilibrium quantum field theory, the static contributions to the current density up to the second order in powers of external electromagnetic field are evaluated. For circularly polarized light one of the contributions describes the emergence of static magnetization. It is shown that the direction of induced magnetization may change depending on the frequency of the external radiation and disorder scattering rate. I also find that at large frequencies the leading contribution to the induced magnetization is proportional to the square of spin-orbit interaction and is inversely proportional to the fifth power of the frequency of an external electromagnetic wave.