Giant modulation of optical nonlinearity by Floquet engineering

Area of Science:

• Condensed Matter Physics
• Quantum Materials
• Ultrafast Optics

Background:

• Periodic driving with light can manipulate quantum material properties on ultrafast timescales.
• Optically inducing non-trivial band topologies, spin interactions, and superconductivity have been demonstrated.
• Coherent engineering of optical properties remains less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate coherent control and giant modulation of optical nonlinearity.
• To investigate the potential for on-demand engineering of optical properties in quantum materials.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing strong periodic driving with light on manganese phosphorus trisulfide (MnPS3).
• Driving far off-resonance from the manganese d-d transition.
• Employing Floquet theory calculations for analysis.

Main Results:

• Observed coherent on-off switching of optical second harmonic generation efficiency on a 100-femtosecond timescale.
• Achieved an on-off ratio exceeding 10 at high driving electric fields (10^9 V/m).
• Demonstrated no measurable dissipation during the switching process.

Conclusions:

• Coherent control and giant modulation of optical nonlinearity are achievable in MnPS3.
• The demonstrated approach is applicable to various insulating materials.
• This work opens possibilities for dynamically designed nonlinear optical elements.