Diyar Talbayev

Terahertz spectroscopy of spin waves in multiferroic BiFeO3 in high magnetic fields.

We have studied the magnetic field dependence of far-infrared active magnetic modes in a single ferroelectric domain BiFeO3 crystal at low temperature. The modes soften close to the critical field of 18.8 T along the [001] (pseudocubic) axis, where the cycloidal structure changes to the homogeneous canted antiferromagnetic state and a new strong mode with linear field dependence appears that persists at least up to 31 T. A microscopic model that includes two Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions and easy-axis anisotropy describes closely both the zero-field spectroscopic modes as well as their splitting and evolution in a magnetic field. The good agreement of theory with experiment suggests that the proposed model provides the foundation for future technological applications of this multiferroic material.

Observing the interplay between surface and bulk optical nonlinearities in thin van der Waals crystals.

Thickness dependence of second harmonic generation in atomically thin InSe is studied. A strong resonance is observed, attributed to interference between distinct surface and bulk nonlinear contributions.

Probing the Interplay between Quantum Charge Fluctuations and Magnetic Ordering in LuFe2O4

The mechanisms producing strong coupling between electric and magnetic order in multiferroics are not always well understood, since their microscopic origins can be quite different. Hence, gaining a deeper understanding of magnetoelectric coupling in these materials is the key to their rational design. Here, we use ultrafast optical spectroscopy to show that the influence of magnetic ordering on quantum charge fluctuations via the double-exchange mechanism can govern the interplay between electric polarization and magnetism in the charge-ordered multiferroic LuFe2O4.

Thin InSb layers with metallic gratings: a novel platform for spectrally-selective THz plasmonic sensing.

We present a computational study of terahertz optical properties of a grating-coupled plasmonic structure based on micrometer-thin InSb layers. We find two strong absorption resonances that we interpret as standing surface plasmon modes and investigate their dispersion relations, dependence on InSb thickness, and the spatial distribution of the electric field. The observed surface plasmon modes are well described by a simple theory of the air/InSb/air tri-layer. The plasmonic response of the grating/InSb structure is highly sensitive to the dielectric environment and the presence of an analyte (e.g., lactose) at the InSb interface, which is promising for terahertz plasmonic sensor applications. We determine the sensor sensitivity to be 7200 nm per refractive index unit (or 0.06 THz per refractive index unit). The lower surface plasmon mode also exhibits a splitting when tuned in resonance with the vibrational mode of lactose at 1.37 THz. We propose that such interaction between surface plasmon and vibrational modes can be used as the basis for a new sensing modality that allows the detection of terahertz vibrational fingerprints of an analyte.

The influence of charge and magnetic order on polaron and acoustic phonon dynamics in LuFe2O4

Femtosecond optical pump-probe spectroscopy is used to reveal the influence of charge and magnetic order on polaron dynamics and coherent acoustic phonon oscillations in single crystals of charge-ordered, ferrimagnetic LuFe2O4. We experimentally observed the influence of magnetic order on polaron dynamics. We also observed a correlation between charge order and the amplitude of the acoustic phonon oscillations, due to photoinduced changes in the lattice constant that originate from the photoexcited electrons. This provides insight into the general behavior of coherent acoustic phonon oscillations in charge-ordered materials.

Giant THz surface plasmon polariton induced by high-index dielectric metasurface

We use computational approaches to explore the role of a high-refractive-index dielectric TiO2 grating with deep subwavelength thickness on InSb as a tunable coupler for THz surface plasmons. We find a series of resonances as the grating couples a normally-incident THz wave to standing surface plasmon waves on both thin and thick InSb layers. In a marked contrast with previously-explored metallic gratings, we observe the emergence of a much stronger additional resonance. The mechanism of this giant plasmonic resonance is well interpreted by the dispersion of surface plasmon excited in the air\TiO2\InSb trilayer system. We demonstrate that both the frequency and the intensity of the giant resonance can be tuned by varying dielectric grating parameters, providing more flexible tunability than metallic gratings. The phase and amplitude of the normally-incident THz wave are spatially modulated by the dielectric grating to optimize the surface plasmon excitation. The giant surface plasmon resonance gives rise to strong enhancement of the electric field above the grating structure, which can be useful in sensing and spectroscopy applications.

Grating-coupled surface plasmons on InSb: a versatile platform for terahertz plasmonic sensing (Conference Presentation)

Detection and identification of molecular materials based on their THz frequency vibrational resonances remains an open technological challenge. The need for such technology is illustrated by its potential uses in explosives detection (e.g., RDX) or identification of large biomolecules based on their THz-frequency vibrational fingerprints. The prevailing approaches to THz sensing often rely on a form of waveguide spectroscopy, either utilizing geometric waveguides, such as metallic parallel plate, or plasmonic waveguides made of structured metallic surfaces with sub-wavelength corrugation. The sensitivity of waveguide-based sensing devices is derived from the long (1 cm or longer) propagation and interaction distance of the THz wave with the analyte. We have demonstrated that thin InSb layers with metallic gratings can support high quality factor “true” surface plasmon (SP) resonances that can be used for THz plasmonic sensing. We find two strong SP absorption resonances in normal-incidence transmission and investigate their dispersion relations, dependence on InSb thickness, and the spatial distribution of the electric field. The sensitivity of this approach relies on the frequency shift of the SP resonance when the dielectric function changes in the immediate vicinity of the sensor, in the region of deeply sub-wavelength thickness. Our computational modeling indicates that the sensor sensitivity can exceed 0.25 THz per refractive index unit. One of the SP resonances also exhibits a splitting when tuned in resonance with a vibrational mode of an analyte, which could lead to new sensing modalities for the detection of THz vibrational features of the analyte.