Metallic Electrooptic Effect in Twisted Double-Bilayer Graphene
Recent theoretical advances have highlighted the role of Bloch state intrinsic properties in enabling unconventional electro-optic (EO) phenomena in bulk metals, offering novel strategies for dynamic optical control in quantum materials. Here, we identify an alternative EO mechanism in bulk metallic systems that arises from the interplay between Berry curvature and the orbital magnetic moment of Bloch electrons. Focusing on twisted double-bilayer graphene (TDBG), we show that the enhanced intrinsic properties of moiré Bloch bands give rise to a sizable linear magnetoelectric EO response, a first-order, electric-field-induced non-Hermitian correction to the gyrotropic magnetic susceptibility. This mechanism dominates in C3z-symmetric TDBG, where EO contributions originating from the Berry curvature dipole (BCD) are symmetry-forbidden. Our calculations reveal giant, gate-tunable linear and circular dichroism in the terahertz regime, establishing a robust and tunable platform for ultrafast EO modulation in two-dimensional materials beyond the BCD paradigm.
Authors
- Tony Low (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5759-5899)
- C. O. Ascencio (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6059-5101)
- Paul M. Haney (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9390-4727)
- D. J. P. de Sousa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-4862-4581)
- N. Roldan-Levchenko
- J. D. S. Forte
Institutions
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (US)
- University of Minnesota System (US)
- Physical Measurement Laboratory (US)
- National Institute of Standards (EG)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nano Letters
- Published
- 2026-05-28
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.5c05662
- Primary Topic
- Topological Materials and Phenomena
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Office of Naval Research