Excitation wavelength-dependent ultrafast THz emission from surface and bulk of three-dimensional topological insulators

Abstract

Three-dimensional topological insulators possess various interesting properties that are promising for various modern applications, including in the recently emerging fields of ultrafast THz photonics and spintronics. Their gapless spin-momentum-locked topological surface states with the presence of chiral spin structure are relevant for the development of light helicity-sensitive THz emitters and detectors. In this paper, we report femtosecond excitation pulse wavelength and helicity-dependent response of the three-dimensional topological insulators for an enhanced broadband THz pulse emission. Specifically, the excitation wavelength has been varied in a large range from near UV to near IR and two model systems of Bi2Te3 and Bi2Se3 single crystals have been studied. It was observed that the photoexcitation at shorter wavelengths enhances the THz emission from both the surface and bulk states. Primarily, circular photogalvanic effect is responsible for the surface contribution, while the prominent contribution in the bulk is from photon-drag effect. The wavelength-dependence of the THz emission is explained by accounting for the free carrier absorption of THz radiation within the material accurately.