Direct observation of Floquet-Bloch states in monolayer graphene

Direct observation of Floquet-Bloch states in monolayer graphene

22 Apr 2024 | Dongsung Choi, Masataka Mogi, Umberto De Giovannini, Doron Azouy, Baiqing Lv, Yifan Su, Hannes Hübener, Angel Rubio, Nuh Gedik
This study reports the direct observation of Floquet-Bloch states in monolayer epitaxial graphene using time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (trARPES). Floquet-Bloch states arise from the hybridization of Bloch electrons with photons under periodic driving. The researchers used mid-infrared pump pulses and extreme ultraviolet probe pulses to observe replicas of the Dirac cone, indicating the presence of photon-dressed states. The pump polarization dependence of these replica bands shows that they originate from scattering between Floquet-Bloch states and Volkov states. Theoretical modeling confirmed that scattering between Floquet-Bloch and Volkov states can reproduce the experimental results, while Volkov states alone cannot explain the observed polarization dependence. The study demonstrates that Floquet-Bloch states are present in monolayer graphene, and the results provide insights into the behavior of these states under different pump polarizations. The findings suggest that Floquet engineering can be applied to a wide range of quantum materials. The study also highlights the challenges in observing Floquet-Bloch states in graphene, including the need for high harmonic generation probe and mid-IR pump excitation, and the difficulty in disentangling the contribution of Volkov states. The results contribute to the understanding of Floquet-Bloch states in quantum materials and pave the way for further advancements in Floquet engineering.This study reports the direct observation of Floquet-Bloch states in monolayer epitaxial graphene using time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (trARPES). Floquet-Bloch states arise from the hybridization of Bloch electrons with photons under periodic driving. The researchers used mid-infrared pump pulses and extreme ultraviolet probe pulses to observe replicas of the Dirac cone, indicating the presence of photon-dressed states. The pump polarization dependence of these replica bands shows that they originate from scattering between Floquet-Bloch states and Volkov states. Theoretical modeling confirmed that scattering between Floquet-Bloch and Volkov states can reproduce the experimental results, while Volkov states alone cannot explain the observed polarization dependence. The study demonstrates that Floquet-Bloch states are present in monolayer graphene, and the results provide insights into the behavior of these states under different pump polarizations. The findings suggest that Floquet engineering can be applied to a wide range of quantum materials. The study also highlights the challenges in observing Floquet-Bloch states in graphene, including the need for high harmonic generation probe and mid-IR pump excitation, and the difficulty in disentangling the contribution of Volkov states. The results contribute to the understanding of Floquet-Bloch states in quantum materials and pave the way for further advancements in Floquet engineering.
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[slides and audio] Direct observation of Floquet-Bloch states in monolayer graphene