Excitons in periodic potentials

Abstract

The energy band structure of excitons is studied in periodic potentials produced by the short-range interaction between the exciton and electrons of Wigner or Moir\'{e} lattices. Treating the exciton as a point-like dipole that interacts with the periodic potential, we can solve a simple one-body problem that provides valuable information on excitons in many-body problem settings. By employing group theory, we identify the excitonic energy bands that can couple to light and then quantify their energy shifts in response to a change in the period of the potential. This approach allows us to emulate the response of optically active exciton and trion states to a change in electron density. We gain important insights on the relation between the electron order in a Wigner crystal and the energy blueshift of the bright exciton. We discuss the consequences of this relation in the context of optical absorption experiments in monolayer semiconductors.