Abstract-Microscopic modeling of tunable graphene-based terahertz Landau-level lasers

Samuel Brem, Florian Wendler, and Ermin Malic

https://journals.aps.org/prb/accepted/77077O7aQ331c431f4bb34537ee0565d99b84ec19

In the presence of strong magnetic fields the electronic bandstructure of graphene drastically changes. The Dirac cone collapses into discrete non-equidistant Landau levels, which can be externally tuned by changing the magnetic field. In contrast to conventional materials, specific Landau levels are selectively addressable using circularly polarized light. Exploiting these unique properties, we propose the design of a tunable laser operating in the technologically promising terahertz spectral range. To uncover the many-particle physics behind the emission of light, we perform a fully quantum mechanical investigation of the non-equilibrium dynamics of electrons, phonons, and photons in optically pumped Landau-quantized graphene embedded into a high quality optical cavity. The gained microscopic insights allow us to predict optimal experimental conditions to realize a technologically promising terahertz laser.