SciPost Physics (Oct 2021)

Nonadiabatic nonlinear optics and quantum geometry — Application to the twisted Schwinger effect

  • Shintaro Takayoshi, Jianda Wu, Takashi Oka

DOI
https://doi.org/10.21468/SciPostPhys.11.4.075
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 4
p. 075

Abstract

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We study the tunneling mechanism of nonlinear optical processes in solids induced by strong coherent laser fields. The theory is based on an extension of the Landau-Zener model with nonadiabatic geometric effects. In addition to the rectification effect known previously, we find two effects, namely perfect tunneling and counterdiabaticity at fast sweep speed. We apply this theory to the twisted Schwinger effect, i.e., nonadiabatic pair production of particles by rotating electric fields, and find a nonperturbative generation mechanism of the opto-valley polarization and photo-current in Dirac and Weyl fermions.