Photovoltaic effect in bent quantum wires

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how the curvature of bent quantum wires, when illuminated with circularly polarized light, can generate a photocurrent at zero bias by converting photon angular momentum into electron motion.

Contribution

It introduces a novel scheme for photocurrent generation in bent quantum wires using a generalized Landauer-Buttiker approach considering electromagnetic radiation.

Findings

Curvature induces asymmetry in scattering coefficients.

Photocurrent is generated at zero bias voltage.

Geometry transforms photon angular momentum into electron motion.

Abstract

We propose a scheme for the generation of photocurrent in bent quantum wires. We calculate the current using a generalized Landauer-Buttiker approach that takes into account the electromagnetic radiation. For circularly polarized light, we find that the curvature in the bent wire induces an asymmetry in the scattering coefficients for left and right moving electrons. This asymmetry results in a current at zero bias voltage. The effect is due to the geometry of the wire which transforms the photon angular momentum into translational motion for the electrons.