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Spin-momentum locked interaction between guided photons and surface electrons in topological insulators

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  • Siyuan Luo

    (University of Minnesota
    University of Electronics Science and Technology of China)

  • Li He

    (University of Minnesota
    University of Minnesota)

  • Mo Li

    (University of Minnesota)

Abstract

The propagation of electrons and photons can respectively have the spin-momentum locking effect which correlates spin with linear momentum. For surface electrons in three-dimensional topological insulators (TIs), their spin is locked to the transport direction. Analogously, photons in optical waveguides carry transverse spin angular momentum which is also locked to the propagation direction. A direct connection between electron and photon spins occurs in TIs due to spin-dependent selection rules of optical transitions. Here we demonstrate an optoelectronic device that integrates a TI with a photonic waveguide. Interaction between photons in the waveguide and surface electrons in a Bi2Se3 layer generates a directional, spin-polarized photocurrent. Because of spin-momentum locking, changing light propagation direction reverses photon spin and thus the direction of the photocurrent. Our device represents a way of implementing coupled spin–orbit interaction between electrons and photons and may lead to applications in opto-spintronics and quantum information processing.

Suggested Citation

  • Siyuan Luo & Li He & Mo Li, 2017. "Spin-momentum locked interaction between guided photons and surface electrons in topological insulators," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 8(1), pages 1-7, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:8:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-017-02264-y
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-02264-y
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    Cited by:

    1. Sobhan Subhra Mishra & James Lourembam & Dennis Jing Xiong Lin & Ranjan Singh, 2024. "Active ballistic orbital transport in Ni/Pt heterostructure," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-7, December.

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