Nonlinear electromagnetic response of graphene: frequency multiplication and the self-consistent-field effects

Abstract

Graphene is a recently discovered carbon based material with unique physical properties. This is a monolayer of graphite, and the two-dimensional electrons and holes in it are described by the effective Dirac equation with a vanishing effective mass. As a consequence, electromagnetic response of graphene is predicted to be strongly non-linear. We develop a quasi-classical kinetic theory of the non-linear electromagnetic response of graphene, taking into account the self-consistent-field effects. Response of the system to both harmonic and pulse excitation is considered. The frequency multiplication effect, resulting from the non-linearity of the electromagnetic response, is studied under realistic experimental conditions. The frequency up-conversion efficiency is analysed as a function of the applied electric field and parameters of the samples. Possible applications of graphene in terahertz electronics are discussed.

Nonlinear optical spectrum of bilayer graphene in the terahertz regime

“…13,14 Bilayer graphene ͑BLG͒ exhibits additional new properties not seen in single layer graphene; chief among them are the trigonal warping, 15,16 a phenomenon solely due to the interlayer coupling. The quantum Hall plateaus in BLG are doubled and independent of the interlayer coupling strength.…”

Resonant second-harmonic generation in a ballistic graphene transistor with an ac-driven gate

“…Several works in this direction show indeed that ac transport in graphene is a rich subject. Studies include quantum pumping [8][9][10][11][12], nonlinear electromagnetic response [13][14][15][16][17][18], and photon-assisted tunneling phenomena [19][20][21][22][23][24][25]. In theoretical investigations for low doping (Fermi energy E F close to the Dirac point) and high frequencies , with E F and of comparable magnitude (we put = 1), a true quantum mechanical description becomes necessary.…”

Strong nonlinear optical response of graphene in the terahertz regime

“…Within the classical picture, it has been shown that frequency upconversion can be achieved within the Dirac description, 17 although the field response has been restricted to the linear E term. Here we shall adopt an approach that treats the coupling of the Dirac electron to the time-dependent electric field quantum mechanically to calculate the nonlinear terms, both in high order electrical field and in multiple frequencies.…”