Engineering Floquet moir\'e patterns for scalable photocurrents

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how tilted laser illumination can create spatially modulated light-matter interactions in graphene, leading to scalable photocurrents and moiré patterns that enable new quantum state engineering.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method of combining laser tilt and moiré engineering to control Floquet topological states and photocurrents in graphene.

Findings

Creation of a quasi-1D supercell with Floquet topological states

Generation of 2D polarization moiré patterns with orbital propagation

Control of quantum states via laser wavelength and tilt angles

Abstract

While intense laser irradiation and moir\'e engineering have independently proven powerful for tuning material properties on demand in condensed matter physics, their combination remains unexplored. Here we exploit tilted laser illumination to create spatially modulated light-matter interactions, leading to two striking phenomena in graphene. First, using two lasers tilted along the same axis, we create a quasi-1D supercell hosting a network of Floquet topological states that generate controllable and scalable photocurrents spanning the entire irradiated region. Second, by tilting lasers along orthogonal axes, we establish a 2D polarization moir\'e pattern giving rise to closed orbital propagation of Floquet states, reminiscent of bulk Landau states. These features, imprinted in the bulk of the irradiated region and controlled through laser wavelength and tilt angles, establish a new way for engineering quantum states through spatially modulated light-matter coupling.