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Coherent Electron Trajectory Control in Graphene

Christian Heide, Takuya Higuchi, Heiko B. Weber, and Peter Hommelhoff
Phys. Rev. Lett. 121, 207401 – Published 14 November 2018
Physics logo See Synopsis: A Laser Steers Electrons Inside Graphene

Abstract

We investigate coherent electron dynamics in graphene, interacting with the electric field waveform of two orthogonally polarized, few-cycle laser pulses. Recently, we demonstrated that linearly polarized driving pulses lead to sub-optical-cycle Landau-Zener quantum path interference by virtue of the combination of intraband motion and interband transition [Higuchi et al., Nature 550, 224 (2017)]. Here we introduce a pulsed control laser beam, orthogonally polarized to the driving pulses, and observe the ensuing electron dynamics. The relative delay between the two pulses is a tuning parameter to control the electron trajectory, now in a complex fashion exploring the full two-dimensional reciprocal space in graphene. Depending on the relative phase, the electron trajectory in the reciprocal space can, e.g., be deformed to suppress the quantum path interference resulting from the driving laser pulse. Intriguingly, this strong-field-based complex matter wave manipulation in a two-dimensional conductor is driven by a high repetition rate laser oscillator, rendering unnecessary complex and expensive amplified laser systems.

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  • Received 31 August 2018

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.121.207401

© 2018 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Condensed Matter, Materials & Applied PhysicsNonlinear DynamicsAtomic, Molecular & OpticalGeneral Physics

Synopsis

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A Laser Steers Electrons Inside Graphene

Published 14 November 2018

Orthogonally polarized laser pulses produce a controllable, variable current whose direction can be reversed in less than a femtosecond.

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Authors & Affiliations

Christian Heide1,*, Takuya Higuchi1, Heiko B. Weber2, and Peter Hommelhoff1,†

  • 1Laser Physics, Department of Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Staudtstrasse 1, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
  • 2Applied Physics, Department of Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Staudtstrasse 7, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany

  • *christian.heide@fau.de
  • peter.hommelhoff@fau.de

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Issue

Vol. 121, Iss. 20 — 16 November 2018

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