Success of Optical Control of Spin-polarized Photocurrent in Topological Insulator!
November 13, 2018
National Institute of Information and Communications Technology
Osaka Prefecture University
The main point of research
![Figure: Schematics of spin-polarized photocurrent on the surfaces of TI thin films generated by optical pulses with (a) right- and (b) left-circular polarizations. Blue circles, blue arrows, and yellow arrows show spin-polarized electrons, the direction of spin polarization and the flow direction of the photocurrent generated by optical pulses, respectively. This figure shows that the flow direction of the spin-polarized photocurrent is changed by the optical pulses with the right- and left-circular polarizations. Figure: Schematics of spin-polarized photocurrent on the surfaces of TI thin films generated by optical pulses with (a) right- and (b) left-circular polarizations. Blue circles, blue arrows, and yellow arrows show spin-polarized electrons, the direction of spin polarization and the flow direction of the photocurrent generated by optical pulses, respectively. This figure shows that the flow direction of the spin-polarized photocurrent is changed by the optical pulses with the right- and left-circular polarizations.](lde9n20000007d7m-img/20181113e.png)
- Spin-polarized photocurrents are successfully generated on the surface of topological insulator (TI) thin films by light irradiation without electronic field or magnetic field.
- We demonstrate that the flow direction of spin-polarized photocurrents can be precisely and selectively controlled by manipulating the polarization of the optical pulses.
- These results will open the way as innovative methods to control spin-polarized electrons in optoelectronic and spintronic TI devices.
Abstract
Glossary
Contact
Prof. Kohji Mizoguchi
Graduate School of Science, Osaka Prefecture University
E-mail: