The Berry dipole photovoltaic demon and the thermodynamics of photo-current generation within the optical gap of metals
We dismantle the previously held misconception that it is impossible for bulk rectification mechanisms to induce a net DC electric current when the frequency of the impinging radiation lies within the optical gap of a metal in the limit of small carrier relaxation rates. We argue that generically...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2023
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/169933 |
| _version_ | 1811678339931308032 |
|---|---|
| author | Shi, Li-kun Matsyshyn, Oles Song, Justin Chien Wen Villadiego, Inti Sodemann |
| author2 | School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences |
| author_facet | School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences Shi, Li-kun Matsyshyn, Oles Song, Justin Chien Wen Villadiego, Inti Sodemann |
| author_sort | Shi, Li-kun |
| collection | NTU |
| description | We dismantle the previously held misconception that it is impossible for bulk
rectification mechanisms to induce a net DC electric current when the frequency
of the impinging radiation lies within the optical gap of a metal in the limit
of small carrier relaxation rates. We argue that generically such in-gap
rectification mechanisms are irreversible and accompanied by a continuous
exchange of energy with a heat bath and must also be necessarily accompanied by
a small but finite absorption of radiation in order to guarantee the positivity
of the net entropy production and abide by the second law of thermodynamics. We
show, however, that the intra-band non-linear Hall effect arising from the
Berry curvature is a special kind of in-gap rectification mechanism that
behaves as a ``photo-voltaic demon'', namely it can operate as an ideal
reversible and dissipationless conveyor of energy between the radiation and an
external circuit. Its reversible nature allows for an interesting mode of
operation as an amplifier of circularly polarized light, whose efficiency can
approach 100%, and which could be technologically promising especially in the
infrared frequency range. |
| first_indexed | 2024-10-01T02:51:42Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | ntu-10356/169933 |
| institution | Nanyang Technological University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-10-01T02:51:42Z |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | ntu-10356/1699332023-08-21T15:42:13Z The Berry dipole photovoltaic demon and the thermodynamics of photo-current generation within the optical gap of metals Shi, Li-kun Matsyshyn, Oles Song, Justin Chien Wen Villadiego, Inti Sodemann School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences Science::Physics Berry-Dipole Photovoltaic Demon We dismantle the previously held misconception that it is impossible for bulk rectification mechanisms to induce a net DC electric current when the frequency of the impinging radiation lies within the optical gap of a metal in the limit of small carrier relaxation rates. We argue that generically such in-gap rectification mechanisms are irreversible and accompanied by a continuous exchange of energy with a heat bath and must also be necessarily accompanied by a small but finite absorption of radiation in order to guarantee the positivity of the net entropy production and abide by the second law of thermodynamics. We show, however, that the intra-band non-linear Hall effect arising from the Berry curvature is a special kind of in-gap rectification mechanism that behaves as a ``photo-voltaic demon'', namely it can operate as an ideal reversible and dissipationless conveyor of energy between the radiation and an external circuit. Its reversible nature allows for an interesting mode of operation as an amplifier of circularly polarized light, whose efficiency can approach 100%, and which could be technologically promising especially in the infrared frequency range. Published version 2023-08-15T06:08:08Z 2023-08-15T06:08:08Z 2023 Journal Article Shi, L., Matsyshyn, O., Song, J. C. W. & Villadiego, I. S. (2023). The Berry dipole photovoltaic demon and the thermodynamics of photo-current generation within the optical gap of metals. Physical Review B, 107(12), 125151-1-125151-15. https://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.107.125151 1098-0121 https://hdl.handle.net/10356/169933 10.1103/PhysRevB.107.125151 2-s2.0-85151287449 12 107 125151-1 125151-15 en Physical Review B Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI. Open access publication funded by the Max Planck Society. application/pdf |
| spellingShingle | Science::Physics Berry-Dipole Photovoltaic Demon Shi, Li-kun Matsyshyn, Oles Song, Justin Chien Wen Villadiego, Inti Sodemann The Berry dipole photovoltaic demon and the thermodynamics of photo-current generation within the optical gap of metals |
| title | The Berry dipole photovoltaic demon and the thermodynamics of photo-current generation within the optical gap of metals |
| title_full | The Berry dipole photovoltaic demon and the thermodynamics of photo-current generation within the optical gap of metals |
| title_fullStr | The Berry dipole photovoltaic demon and the thermodynamics of photo-current generation within the optical gap of metals |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Berry dipole photovoltaic demon and the thermodynamics of photo-current generation within the optical gap of metals |
| title_short | The Berry dipole photovoltaic demon and the thermodynamics of photo-current generation within the optical gap of metals |
| title_sort | berry dipole photovoltaic demon and the thermodynamics of photo current generation within the optical gap of metals |
| topic | Science::Physics Berry-Dipole Photovoltaic Demon |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/169933 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT shilikun theberrydipolephotovoltaicdemonandthethermodynamicsofphotocurrentgenerationwithintheopticalgapofmetals AT matsyshynoles theberrydipolephotovoltaicdemonandthethermodynamicsofphotocurrentgenerationwithintheopticalgapofmetals AT songjustinchienwen theberrydipolephotovoltaicdemonandthethermodynamicsofphotocurrentgenerationwithintheopticalgapofmetals AT villadiegointisodemann theberrydipolephotovoltaicdemonandthethermodynamicsofphotocurrentgenerationwithintheopticalgapofmetals AT shilikun berrydipolephotovoltaicdemonandthethermodynamicsofphotocurrentgenerationwithintheopticalgapofmetals AT matsyshynoles berrydipolephotovoltaicdemonandthethermodynamicsofphotocurrentgenerationwithintheopticalgapofmetals AT songjustinchienwen berrydipolephotovoltaicdemonandthethermodynamicsofphotocurrentgenerationwithintheopticalgapofmetals AT villadiegointisodemann berrydipolephotovoltaicdemonandthethermodynamicsofphotocurrentgenerationwithintheopticalgapofmetals |