Nonlinear response theory for orbital photocurrent in semiconductors

Abstract

Recent theoretical studies on the nonlinear response of spin and orbital degrees of freedom have discovered spin and orbital analogs of the photocurrent, with potential for characterizing topological materials and for applications. In this paper, we develop a general theory for calculating spin and orbital currents in semiconductors and study the properties of optical responses in the Bernevig-Hughes-Zhang and Luttinger models, where nonlinear orbital responses and a topological phase transition occur. We study the evolution of optical responses at the topological phase transition and how they manifest. In addition, we find that the relaxation time dependence of the orbital conductivity is somewhat distinct from that of the photocurrent. The theory is straightforwardly applicable to complex models of real materials, allowing quantitative predictions of the nonlinear responses of orbital and spin.