arXiv subjects

Pratap Chandra Adak

Publications and source records attributed to Pratap Chandra Adak.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Microwave-to-optical transduction using magnon-exciton coupling in a layered antiferromagnet

Coherent interfaces between microwave-frequency quantum systems and low-loss optical links are essential for quantum networks. However, existing microwave-optical transducers often trade conversion efficiency against added noise, bandwidth, and device integrability. Here, we demonstrate coherent microwave-to-optical transduction based on magnon-exciton coupling in the layered antiferromagnet CrSBr. Driving the antiferromagnetic resonance with microwave signals imprints coherent modulation on a reflected optical probe, generating optical sidebands that are resonantly enhanced near excitonic transitions. While prior magnon-based approaches to microwave-to-optical transduction have typically relied on intrinsically weak off-resonant magneto-optical effects (e.g., Faraday rotation), our scheme exploits strong light-matter interactions at exciton resonances. Even in a bulk crystal without cavity enhancement, we observe coherent conversion over an intrinsically broadband window of ~ 300 MHz. We further show that multiple exciton-polariton resonances inherit the magnon-coupled response, suggesting a route to broaden the usable optical detuning range and to mitigate optical dissipation. Our results establish magnon-coupled excitons in layered magnets as a scalable platform for broadband microwave-optical interfaces, with pathways to higher cooperativity via reduced magnetic volume and cavity integration.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2026

Excitons in van der Waals magnetic materials

Two-dimensional magnetic semiconductors provide a unique materials platform in which long-range magnetic order coexists with strongly bound excitons. Because excitonic states and magnetic moments originate from the same electronic orbitals and are coupled through intrinsic exchange interactions, optical excitations in these systems exhibit pronounced sensitivity to magnetic order. Recent experiments have revealed unusually strong magneto-optical responses, as well as direct coupling between excitons and magnons, establishing new routes for controlling light-matter interactions with spin degrees of freedom. This Review surveys key developments in the field, focusing on representative material systems, experimental signatures of exciton-magnetism coupling, and the theoretical frameworks used to describe these phenomena. We conclude with perspectives on how this rapidly evolving field could enable next-generation optoelectronic and quantum technologies leveraging the coupled dynamics of light, charge, and spin.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Directional Flow of Confined Polaritons in CrSBr

Nanoscale control of energy transport is a central challenge in modern photonics. Utilization of exciton-polaritons hybrid light-matter quasiparticles is one viable approach, but it typically demands complex device engineering to enable directional transport. Here, we demonstrate that the van der Waals magnet CrSBr offers an inherent avenue for steering polariton transport leveraging a unique combination of intrinsic optical anisotropy, high refractive index, and excitons dressed by photons. This combination enables low-loss guided modes that propagate tens of microns along the crystal $a$-axis, while simultaneously inducing strong one-dimensional confinement along the orthogonal $b$-axis. By embedding CrSBr flakes in a microcavity, we further enhance the confinement, as evidenced by energy modes that are discretized along the $b$-axis but continuous along the $a$-axis. Moreover, the magneto-exciton coupling characteristic of CrSBr allows unprecedented control over both unidirectional propagation and confinement. Our results establish CrSBr as a versatile polaritonic platform for integrated optoelectronic device applications, including energy-efficient optical modulators and switches.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2024

Magnon-mediated exciton-exciton interaction in a van der Waals antiferromagnet

Excitons are fundamental excitations that govern the optical properties of semiconductors. Interacting excitons can lead to various emergent phases of matter and large nonlinear optical responses. In most semiconductors, excitons interact via exchange interaction or phase space filling. Correlated materials that host excitons coupled to other degrees of freedom offer hitherto unexplored pathways for controlling these interactions. Here, we demonstrate magnon-mediated excitonic interactions in CrSBr, an antiferromagnetic semiconductor. This interaction manifests as the dependence of exciton energy on exciton density via a magnonic adjustment of the spin canting angle. Our study demonstrates the emergence of quasiparticle-mediated interactions in correlated quantum materials, leading to large nonlinear optical responses and potential device concepts such as magnon-mediated quantum transducers.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Moiré exciton polaron engineering via twisted hBN

Twisted hexagonal boron nitride (thBN) exhibits emergent ferroelectricity due to the formation of moiré superlattices with alternating AB and BA domains. These domains possess electric dipoles, leading to a periodic electrostatic potential that can be imprinted onto other 2D materials placed in its proximity. Here we demonstrate the remote imprinting of moiré patterns from twisted hexagonal boron nitride (thBN) onto monolayer MoSe2 and investigate the resulting changes in the exciton properties. We confirm the imprinting of moiré patterns on monolayer MoSe2 via proximity using Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) and hyperspectral photoluminescence (PL) mapping. By developing a technique to create large ferroelectric domain sizes ranging from 1 μm to 8.7 μm, we achieve unprecedented potential modulation of 387 +- 52 meV. We observe the formation of exciton polarons due to charge redistribution caused by the antiferroelectric moiré domains and investigate the optical property changes induced by the moiré pattern in monolayer MoSe2 by varying the moiré pattern size down to 110 nm. Our findings highlight the potential of twisted hBN as a platform for controlling the optical and electronic properties of 2D materials for optoelectronic and valleytronic applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Tunable moiré materials for probing Berry physics and topology

Berry curvature physics and quantum geometric effects have been instrumental in advancing topological condensed matter physics in recent decades. Although Landau level-based flat bands and conventional 3D solids have been pivotal in exploring rich topological phenomena, they are constrained by their limited ability to undergo dynamic tuning. In stark contrast, moiré systems have risen as a versatile platform for engineering bands and manipulating the distribution of Berry curvature in momentum space. These moiré systems not only harbor tunable topological bands, modifiable through a plethora of parameters, but also provide unprecedented access to large length scales and low energy scales. Furthermore, they offer unique opportunities stemming from the symmetry-breaking mechanisms and electron correlations associated with the underlying flat bands that are beyond the reach of conventional crystalline solids. A diverse array of tools, encompassing quantum electron transport in both linear and non-linear response regimes and optical excitation techniques, provide direct avenues for investigating Berry physics. This review navigates the evolving landscape of tunable moiré materials, highlighting recent experimental breakthroughs in the field of topological physics. Additionally, we delineate several challenges and offer insights into promising avenues for future research.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Perpendicular electric field drives Chern transitions and layer polarization changes in Hofstadter bands

Moiré superlattices engineer band properties and enable observation of fractal energy spectra of Hofstadter butterfly. Recently, correlated-electron physics hosted by flat bands in small-angle moiré systems has been at the foreground. However, the implications of moiré band topology within the single-particle framework are little explored experimentally. An outstanding problem is understanding the effect of band topology on Hofstadter physics, which does not require electron correlations. Our work experimentally studies Chern state switching in the Hofstadter regime using twisted double bilayer graphene (TDBG), which offers electric field tunable topological bands, unlike twisted bilayer graphene. Here we show that the nontrivial topology reflects in the Hofstadter spectra, in particular, by displaying a cascade of Hofstadter gaps that switch their Chern numbers sequentially while varying the perpendicular electric field. Our experiments together with theoretical calculations suggest a crucial role of charge polarization changing concomitantly with topological transitions in this system. Layer polarization is likely to play an important role in the topological states in few-layer twisted systems. Moreover, our work establishes TDBG as a novel Hofstadter platform with nontrivial magnetoelectric coupling.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Nonlinear anomalous Hall effects probe topological phase-transitions in twisted double bilayer graphene

Nonlinear anomalous Hall effect is the Berry curvature dipole induced second-order Hall voltage or temperature difference in response to a longitudinal electric field or temperature gradient. These are the prominent Hall responses in time reversal symmetric systems. Here, we investigate the family of second-order nonlinear anomalous Hall effects, the electrical, thermoelectric and thermal nonlinear Hall effects in the moiré system of twisted double bilayer graphene. We demonstrate that the nonlinear anomalous Hall signals can be used to probe the topological phase-transitions in moiré systems, induced by a perpendicular electric field. Specifically, we show that the whole family of nonlinear anomalous Hall responses undergo a sign reversal across a topological phase-transition.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Berry curvature dipole senses topological transition in a moiré superlattice

Topological aspects of electron wavefunction play a crucial role in determining the physical properties of materials. Berry curvature and Chern number are used to define the topological structure of electronic bands. While Berry curvature and its effects in materials have been studied, detecting changes in the topological invariant, Chern number, is challenging. In this regard, twisted double bilayer graphene (TDBG) has emerged as a promising platform to gain electrical control over the Berry curvature hotspots and the valley Chern numbers of its flat bands. In addition, strain induced breaking of the three-fold rotation (C3) symmetry in TDBG, leads to a non-zero first moment of Berry curvature called the Berry curvature dipole (BCD), which can be sensed using nonlinear Hall (NLH) effect. We reveal, using TDBG, that the BCD detects topological transitions in the bands and changes its sign. In TDBG, the perpendicular electric field tunes the valley Chern number and the BCD simultaneously allowing us a tunable system to probe the physics of topological transitions. Furthermore, we find hysteresis of longitudinal and NLH responses with electric field that can be attributed to switching of electric polarization in moiré systems. Such a hysteretic response holds promise for next-generation Berry curvature-based memory devices. Probing topological transitions, as we show, can be emulated in other 3D topological systems.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2020

Bulk valley transport and Berry curvature spreading at the edge of flat bands

2D materials based superlattices have emerged as a promising platform to modulate band structure and its symmetries. In particular, moiré periodicity in twisted graphene systems produces flat Chern bands. The recent observation of anomalous Hall effect (AHE) and orbital magnetism in twisted bilayer graphene has been associated with spontaneous symmetry breaking of such Chern bands. However, the valley Hall state as a precursor of AHE state, when time-reversal symmetry is still protected, has not been observed. Our work probes this precursor state using the valley Hall effect. We show that broken inversion symmetry in twisted double bilayer graphene (TDBG) facilitates the generation of bulk valley current by reporting the first experimental evidence of nonlocal transport in a nearly flat band system. Despite the spread of Berry curvature hotspots and reduced quasiparticle velocities of the carriers in these flat bands, we observe large nonlocal voltage several micrometers away from the charge current path -- this persists when the Fermi energy lies inside a gap with large Berry curvature. The high sensitivity of the nonlocal voltage to gate tunable carrier density and gap modulating perpendicular electric field makes TDBG an attractive platform for valley-twistronics based on flat bands.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2020

Facile deterministic cutting of 2D materials for twistronics using a tapered fibre scalpel

We present a quick and reliable method to cut 2D materials for creating 2D twisted heterostructures and devices. We demonstrate the effectiveness of using a tapered fibre scalped for cutting graphene. Electrical transport measurements show evidence of the desired twist between the graphene layers fabricated using our technique. Statistics of the number of successfully twisted stacks made using our method is compared with h-BN assisted tear-and-stack method. Also, our method can be used for twisted stack fabrication of materials that are few nanometers thick. Finally, we demonstrate the versatility of the tapered fibre scalped for other shaping related applications for sensitive 2D materials.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2020

Tunable bandwidths and gaps in twisted double bilayer graphene system on the verge of correlations

We use temperature-dependent resistivity in small-angle twisted double bilayer graphene to measure bandwidths and gaps of the bands. This electron-hole asymmetric system has one set of non-dispersing bands that splits into two flat bands with the electric field - distinct from the twisted bilayer system. With electric field, the gap between two emergent flat bands increases monotonically and bandwidth is tuned from 1 meV to 15 meV. These two flat bands with gap result in a series of thermally induced insulator to metal transitions - we use a model, at charge neutrality, to measure the bandwidth using only transport measurements. Having two flat bands with tunable gap and bandwidth offers an opportunity to probe the emergence of correlations.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Non-trivial quantum oscillation geometric phase shift in a trivial band

The accumulation of non-trivial geometric phases in a material's response is often a tell-tale sign of a rich underlying internal structure. Studying quantum oscillations provides one of the ways to determine these geometrical phases, such as Berry's phase, that play a central role in topological quantum materials. We report on magneto-transport measurements in ABA-trilayer graphene, the band structure of which is comprised of a weakly gapped linear Dirac band, nested within a trivial quadratic band. Here we show Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) oscillations of the quadratic band shifted by a phase that sharply departs from the expected 2$π$ Berry's phase. Our analysis reveals that, surprisingly, the anomalous phase shift is non-trivial and is inherited from the non-trivial Berry's phase of the linear Dirac band due to strong filling-enforced constraints between the linear and quadratic band Fermi surfaces. Given that many topological materials contain multiple bands, our work indicates how additional bands, which are thought to obscure the analysis, can actually be exploited to tease out the subtle effects of Berry's phase.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗