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Optically sensing topological phase transitions

Nature Photonics volume 16, pages 614–615 (2022)Cite this article

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The presence of topologically protected edge states is usually determined by angular-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy, requiring clean surfaces and ultrahigh vacuum. Now, an all-optical technique, based on high-harmonic radiation, has been shown to detect topological phase transitions under ambient conditions.

High-harmonic generation is a nonlinear process by which short-wavelength radiation is emitted with photon energies that are multiples of the incident photon energy. High-harmonic generation in solids is efficient up to tens of multiples of the primal frequency if the incoming laser field is strong enough (but below the damage threshold) and the photon energy is well below the bulk bandgap1. The dynamics of the strong-laser-driven electrons not only depend on the non-isotropic dispersion relation determined by the bulk’s valence and conduction bands but also on their Berry curvatures2 and, possibly, edge bands3,4. In topological insulators such as bismuth selenide (Bi2Si3), these edge bands are topologically protected. By doping a fraction x with indium to obtain (Bi1–xInx)2Se3 one can reduce the spin–orbit coupling strength and thus render the system topologically trivial with increasing x (ref. 5).

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Fig. 1: High-harmonic generation in a topological insulator.

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  1. Institute for Physics, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany

    Dieter Bauer

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  1. Dieter Bauer
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Correspondence to Dieter Bauer.

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Bauer, D. Optically sensing topological phase transitions. Nat. Photon. 16, 614–615 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41566-022-01063-2

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