Tuning the non-linear interactions of hybrid interlayer excitons in bilayer MoS2 via electric fields

Abstract

Hybrid interlayer excitons in bilayer MoS2 are a promising platform for nonlinear optics due to their intrinsic dipolar character, which combines in-plane and out-ofplane dipole moments. In this work, we directly probe the nonlinear exciton-exciton interactions of hybrid interlayer excitons. By applying an external out-of-plane electric field, we polarize the excitons to enhance their mutual dipolar interactions, thereby deliberately favoring these repulsive contributions over competing attractive manybody corrections. We furthermore establish a fully microscopic theoretical description of these effects to explain the core experimental results. The tuning results in a significantly larger blueshift compared to the zero-field case and perspectively opens an avenue to even switch between repulsive and attractive interaction potentials. Our findings establish that strong nonlinearities can be tuned via an external electric field, providing a new degree of control over exciton interactions beyond density tuning alone.