arXiv subjects

Mohammed Bawatna

Publications and source records attributed to Mohammed Bawatna.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Electrical tunability of terahertz nonlinearity in graphene

Graphene is conceivably the most nonlinear optoelectronic material. Its nonlinear optical coefficients in the terahertz (THz) frequency range surpass those of other materials by many orders of magnitude. This, in particular, allows one to use graphene for extremely efficient up-conversion of sub-THz electronic input signals into the THz frequency range at room temperature and under ambient conditions, thus paving the way for practical graphene-based ultrahigh-frequency electronic technology. Here, we show that the THz nonlinearity of graphene can be efficiently controlled using electrical gating, with gating voltages as low as a few volts. For example, optimal electrical gating enhances the power conversion efficiency in THz third-harmonic generation in graphene by about two orders of magnitude. This essentially converts graphene from an almost perfectly linear, inert electronic material to a material with the highest possible THz nonlinearity. We demonstrate gating control of THz nonlinearity of graphene for both ultrashort single-cycle and quasi-monochromatic multi-cycle input signals. Our experimental results are in quantitative agreement with a physical model of graphene nonlinearity, describing the time-dependent thermodynamic balance maintained within the electronic population of graphene during interaction with ultrafast electric fields. Our results can serve as a basis for straightforward and accurate design of devices and applications for efficient electronic signal processing in graphene at ultra-high frequencies.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2020

Grating-graphene metamaterial as a platform for terahertz nonlinear photonics

Nonlinear optics is an increasingly important field for scientific and technological applications, owing to its relevance and potential for optical and optoelectronic technologies. Currently, there is an active search for suitable nonlinear material systems with efficient conversion and small material footprint. Ideally, the material system should allow for chip-integration and room-temperature operation. Two-dimensional materials are highly interesting in this regard. Particularly promising is graphene, which has demonstrated an exceptionally large nonlinearity in the terahertz regime. Yet, the light-matter interaction length in two-dimensional materials is inherently minimal, thus limiting the overall nonlinear-optical conversion efficiency. Here we overcome this challenge using a metamaterial platform that combines graphene with a photonic grating structure providing field enhancement. We measure terahertz third-harmonic generation in this metamaterial and obtain an effective third-order nonlinear susceptibility with a magnitude as large as 3$\cdot$10$^{-8}$m$^2$/V$^2$, or 21 esu, for a fundamental frequency of 0.7 THz. This nonlinearity is 50 times larger than what we obtain for graphene without grating. Such an enhancement corresponds to third-harmonic signal with an intensity that is three orders of magnitude larger due to the grating. Moreover, we demonstrate a field conversion efficiency for the third harmonic of up to $\sim$1% using a moderate field strength of $\sim$30 kV/cm. Finally we show that harmonics beyond the third are enhanced even more strongly, allowing us to observe signatures of up to the 9$^{\rm th}$ harmonic. Grating-graphene metamaterials thus constitute an outstanding platform for commercially viable, CMOS compatible, room temperature, chip-integrated, THz nonlinear conversion applications.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2020

Phase-resolved Higgs response in superconducting cuprates

In high energy physics, the Higgs field couples to gauge bosons and fermions and gives mass to their elementary excitations. Experimentally, such couplings can be inferred from the decay product of the Higgs boson, i.e. the scalar (amplitude) excitation of the Higgs field. In superconductors, Cooper pairs bear a close analogy to the Higgs field. Interaction between the Cooper pairs and other degrees of freedom provides dissipation channel for the amplitude mode, which may reveal important information about the microscopic pairing mechanism. To this end, we investigate the Higgs (amplitude) mode of several cuprate thin films using phase-resolved terahertz third harmonic generation (THG). In addition to the heavily damped Higgs mode itself, we observe a universal jump in the phase of the driven Higgs oscillation as well as a non-vanishing THG above Tc. These findings indicate coupling of the Higgs mode to other collective modes and potentially a nonzero pairing amplitude above Tc.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2019

Non-perturbative high-harmonic generation in the three-dimensional Dirac semimetal Cd$_3$As$_2$

Harmonic generation is a general characteristic of driven nonlinear systems, and serves as an efficient tool for investigating the fundamental principles that govern the ultrafast nonlinear dynamics. In atomic gases, high-harmonic radiation is produced via a three-step process of ionization, acceleration, and recollision by strong-field infrared laser. This mechanism has been intensively investigated in the extreme ultraviolet and soft X-ray regions, forming the basis of attosecond research. In solid-state materials, which are characterized by crystalline symmetry and strong interactions, yielding of harmonics has just recently been reported. The observed high-harmonic generation was interpreted with fundamentally different mechanisms, such as interband tunneling combined with dynamical Bloch oscillations, intraband thermodynamics and nonlinear dynamics, and many-body electronic interactions. Here, in a distinctly different context of three-dimensional Dirac semimetal, we report on experimental observation of high-harmonic generation up to the seventh order driven by strong-field terahertz pulses. The observed non-perturbative high-harmonic generation is interpreted as a generic feature of terahertz-field driven nonlinear intraband kinetics of Dirac fermions. We anticipate that our results will trigger great interest in detection, manipulation, and coherent control of the nonlinear response in the vast family of three-dimensional Dirac and Weyl materials.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗