Tunable terahertz plasmons are essential for reconfigurable photonics, which have been demonstrated in graphene through gating, though with relatively weak responses. Here, we demonstrate strong terahertz plasmons in graphite thin films via infrared
spectroscopy, with dramatic tunability by even a moderate temperature change or an in-situ bias voltage. Meanwhile, through magneto-plasmon studies, we reveal that massive electrons and massless Dirac holes make comparable contributions to the plasmon response. Our study not only sets up a platform for further exploration of two-component plasmas, but also opens an avenue for terahertz modulation through electrical bias or all-optical means.
Plasmons in two-dimensional (2D) materials beyond graphene have recently gained much attention. However, the experimental investigation is limited due to the lack of suitable materials. Here, we experimentally demonstrate localized plasmons in a corr
elated 2D charge-density-wave (CDW) material: 2H-TaSe2. The plasmon resonance can cover a broad spectral range from the terahertz (40 {mu}m) to the telecom (1.55 {mu}m) region, which is further tunable by changing thickness and dielectric environments. The plasmon dispersion flattens at large wave vectors, resulted from the universal screening effect of interband transitions. More interestingly, anomalous temperature dependence of plasmon resonances associated with CDW excitations is observed. In the CDW phase, the plasmon peak close to the CDW excitation frequency becomes wider and asymmetric, mimicking two coupled oscillators. Our study not only reveals the universal role of the intrinsic screening on 2D plasmons, but also opens an avenue for tunable plasmons in 2D correlated materials.
Few-layer InSe draws tremendous research interests owing to the superior electronic and optical properties. It exhibits high carrier mobility up to more than 1000 cm2/Vs at room temperature. The strongly layer-tunable band gap spans a large spectral
range from near-infrared to the visible. In this perspective, we systematically review the optical properties of few-layer InSe. Firstly, the intrinsic optical and electronic properties are introduced. Compared to other two-dimensional (2D) materials, the light-matter interaction of few-layer InSe is unusual. The band gap transition is inactive or extremely weak for in-plane polarized light, and the emission light is mainly polarized along the out-of-plane direction. Secondly, we will present several schemes to tune the optical properties of few-layer InSe such as external strain, surface chemical doping and van der Waals (vdW) interfacing. Thirdly, we survey the applications of few-layer InSe in photodetection and heterostructures. Overall, few-layer InSe exhibits great potential not only in fundamental research, but also in electronic and optoelectronic applications.
Recently, Weyl semimetals have been experimentally discovered in both inversion-symmetry-breaking and time-reversal-symmetry-breaking crystals. The non-trivial topology in Weyl semimetals can manifest itself with exotic phenomena which have been exte
nsively investigated by photoemission and transport measurements. Despite the numerous experimental efforts on Fermi arcs and chiral anomaly, the existence of unconventional zeroth Landau levels, as a unique hallmark of Weyl fermions which is highly related to chiral anomaly, remains elusive owing to the stringent experimental requirements. Here, we report the magneto-optical study of Landau quantization in Weyl semimetal NbAs. High magnetic fields drive the system towards the quantum limit which leads to the observation of zeroth chiral Landau levels in two inequivalent Weyl nodes. As compared to other Landau levels, the zeroth chiral Landau level exhibits a distinct linear dispersion in z momentum direction and allows the optical transitions without the limitation of zero z momentum or square root of magnetic field evolution. The magnetic field dependence of the zeroth Landau levels further verifies the predicted particle-hole asymmetry of the Weyl cones. Meanwhile, the optical transitions from the normal Landau levels exhibit the coexistence of multiple carriers including an unexpected massive Dirac fermion, pointing to a more complex topological nature in inversion-symmetry-breaking Weyl semimetals. Our results provide insights into the Landau quantization of Weyl fermions and demonstrate an effective tool for studying complex topological systems.
Plasmon in graphene possesses many unique properties. It originates from the collective motion of massless Dirac fermions and the carrier density dependence is distinctively different from conventional plasmons. In addition, graphene plasmon is highl
y tunable and shows strong energy confinement capability. Most intriguing, as an atom-thin layer, graphene and its plasmon are very sensitive to the immediate environment. Graphene plasmons strongly couple to polar phonons of the substrate, molecular vibrations of the adsorbates, and lattice vibrations of other atomically thin layers. In this review paper, well present the most important advances in grapene plasmonics field. The topics include terahertz plasmons, mid-infrared plasmons, plasmon-phonon interactions and potential applications. Graphene plasmonics opens an avenue for reconfigurable metamaterials and metasurfaces. Its an exciting and promising new subject in the nanophotonics and plasmonics research field.
