Abstract
Spin- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy is used to reveal that a large spin polarization is observable in the bulk centrosymmetric transition metal dichalcogenide . It is found that the measured spin polarization can be reversed by changing the handedness of incident circularly polarized light. Calculations based on a three-step model of photoemission show that the valley and layer-locked spin-polarized electronic states can be selectively addressed by circularly polarized light, therefore providing a novel route to probe these hidden spin-polarized states in inversion-symmetric systems as predicted by Zhang et al. [Nat. Phys. 10, 387 (2014).].
- Received 25 November 2016
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.086402
© 2017 American Physical Society
Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)
Synopsis
Revealing a Hidden Spin Polarization
Published 22 February 2017
Photoemission spectroscopy has detected two different populations of spin-polarized electrons that are “hidden” within a layered, graphene-like material.
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