Light-Material Interactions Using Laser and Flash Sources for Energy Conversion and Storage Applications

This review provides a comprehensive overview of the progress in light-material interactions(LMIs),focusing on lasers and flash lights for energy conversion and storage applications.We discuss intricate LMI parameters such as light sources,interaction time,and fluence to elucidate their importance in material processing.In addition,this study covers various light-induced photothermal and photochemical processes ranging from melting,crystallization,and ablation to doping and synthesis,which are essential for developing energy materials and devices.Finally,we present extensive energy conversion and storage applications demonstrated by LMI technologies,including energy harvesters,sensors,capacitors,and batteries.Despite the several challenges associated with LMIs,such as complex mechanisms,and high-degrees of freedom,we believe that substantial contributions and potential for the commercialization of future energy systems can be achieved by advancing optical technologies through comprehensive academic research and multidisciplinary collaborations.

Symmetry breaking of photonic spin-orbit interactions in metasurfaces

Spin-orbit optical phenomena pertain to the wider class of electromagnetic effects originating from the interaction of the photon spin with the spatial structure and propagation characteristics of an optical wave,mediated by suitable optical media.There are many emerging photonic applications of spin-orbit interactions(SOI)of light,such as control of the optical wave propagation via the spin,enhanced optical manipulation,and generation of structured optical fields.Unfortunately,current applications are based on symmetric SOI,that is,the behaviours of polarized photons with two opposite spins are opposite,leading to the limit of spin-based multiplexers.The symmetry of SOI can be broken in our proposed metasurfaces,consisting of spatially varying birefringence,which can arbitrarily and independently build SOI for two opposite spins without reduction of optical energy usage.We obtain three kinds of dual-functional metasurfaces at visible and infrared wavelengths with high efficiency.Our concept of generation of asymmetric SOI for two spins,using anisotropic metasurfaces,will open new degrees of freedoms for building new types of spin-controlled multifunctional shared-aperture devices for the generation of complex structured optical fields.

Electron Momentum Spectroscopy of Valence Orbitals of n-Propyl Iodide： Spin-Orbit Coupling Effect and Intramolecular Orbital Interaction

The binding energy spectrum and electron momentum distributions for the outer valence orbitals of n-propyl iodide molecule have been measured using the electron momentum spectrometer employing non-coplanar asymmetric geometry at impact energy of 2.5 keV plus binding energy. The ionization bands have been assigned in detail via the high accuracy SACCI general-R method calculation and the experimental momentum profiles are compared with the theoretical ones calculated by Hartree-Fock and B3LYP/aug-cc-pVTZ（C,H）6-311G？？（I）. The spin-orbit coupling effect and intramolecular orbital interaction have been analyzed for the outermost two bands, which are assigned to the iodine 5p lone pairs, using NBO method and non-relativistic as well as relativistic calculations. It is found that both of the interactions will lead to the observed differences in electron momentum distributions. The experimental results agree with the relativistic theoretical momentum profiles, indicating that the spin-orbit coupling effect dominates in n-propyl iodide molecule.

Zero-Magnetic-Field Spin Splitting of Polaron＇s Ground State Energy Induced by Rashba Spin-Orbit Interaction

We study theoretically the ground state energy of a polaron near the interface of a polar-polar semiconductor by considering the Rashba spin-orbit （SO） coupling with the Lee-Low-Pines intermediate coupling method. Our numerical results show that the Rashba SO interaction originating from the inversion asymmetry in the heterostructure splits the ground state energy of the polaron. The electron area/density and vector dependence of the ratio of the SO interaction to the total ground state energy or other energy composition are obvious. One can see that even without any external magnetic field, the ground state energy can be split by the Rashba SO interaction, and this split is not a single but a complex one. Since the presents of the phonons, whose energy gives negative contribution to the polaron＇s, the spin-splitting states of the polaron are more stable than electron＇s.

Oscillation of Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction driven by weak electric fields

Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction(DMI) is under extensive investigation considering its crucial status in chiral magnetic orders, such as Néel-type domain wall(DW) and skyrmions. It has been reported that the interfacial DMI originating from Rashba spin–orbit coupling(SOC) can be linearly tuned with strong external electric fields. In this work, we experimentally demonstrate that the strength of DMI exhibits rapid fluctuations, ranging from 10% to 30% of its original value, as a function of applied electric fields in Pt/Co/MgO heterostructures within the small field regime(< 10-2V/nm). Brillouin light scattering(BLS) experiments have been performed to measure DMI, and first-principles calculations show agreement with this observation, which can be explained by the variation in orbital hybridization at the Co/MgO interface in response to the weak electric fields. Our results on voltage control of DMI(VCDMI) suggest that research related to the voltage control of magnetic anisotropy for spin–orbit torque or the motion control of skyrmions might also have to consider the role of the external electric field on DMI as small voltages are generally used for the magnetoresistance detection.

Preparation of Different Lights Irradiated ZnSe/GSH QDs and Their Interaction with BSA

Using L-glutathione(GSH) as a capping agent,Zn Se/GSH quantum dots(QDs) were prepared under microwave irradiation and irradiated under dark, ultraviolet light and incandescent light, respectively. The properties and interaction of different lights irradiated ZnSe/GSH QDs and bovine serum albumin(BSA) were studied systematically. The fluorescence(FL) spectra results reveal that the quenching mechanism are all the static quenching in nature. The quenching constant(Ksv) and binding constant(K) value of different irradiated Zn Se/GSH QDs and BSA all increased with the change of light types from dark to incandescent light and UV light. The number of binding site(n) is close to 1 at different temperatures. The lighting types influence the enthalpy and entropy changes. The Fourier transform infrared(FTIR) spectra indicate that the light induced GSH ligand will facilitate photocatalytic oxidation on the surface of ZnSe/GSH QDs. The circular dichroism(CD)results show that the α-helicity content of BSA decreases from 60.34%, 59.31%, to 58.79% under UV lighting,incandescent lighting and dark conditions. The interaction results of different lights illuminated ZnSe/GSH QDs with BSA by CD spectra method matches well with that by FL and FTIR spectra. That is, the interaction of ZnSe/GSH QDs and BSA from strong to weak is UV light, incandescent light and dark in sequence.

Spin-orbit interaction in coupled quantum wells

We theoretically investigate the spin-orbit interaction in GaAs/AlxGal_xAs coupled quantum wells. We consider the contribution of the interface-related Rashba term as well as the linear and cubic Dresselhaus terms to the spin splitting. For the coupled quantum wells which bear an inherent structure inversion asymmetry, the same probability density distribution of electrons in the two step quantum wells results in a large spin splitting from the interface term. If the widths of the two step quantum wells are different, the electron probability density in the wider step quantum well is considerably higher than that in the narrower one, resulting in the decrease of the spin splitting from the interface term. The results also show that the spin splitting of the coupled quantum well is not significantly larger than that of a step quantum well.

Highly enhanced visible-light photocatalytic hydrogen evolution on g-C_3N_4 decorated with vopc through π-π interaction

Photocatalytic H2 evolution reactions on pristine graphitic carbon nitrides(g-C3N4),as a promising approach for converting solar energy to fuel,are attractive for tackling global energy concerns but still suffer from low efficiencies.In this article,we report a tractable approach to modifying g-C3N4 with vanadyl phthalocyanine(VOPc/CN)for efficient visible-light-driven hydrogen production.A non-covalent VOPc/CN hybrid photocatalyst formed viaπ-πstacking interactions between the two components,as confirmed by analysis of UV-vis absorption spectra.The VOPc/CN hybrid photocatalyst shows excellent visible-light-driven photocatalytic performance and good stability.Under optimal conditions,the corresponding H2 evolution rate is nearly 6 times higher than that of pure g-C3N4.The role of VOPc in promoting hydrogen evolution activity was to extend the visible light absorption range and prevent the recombination of photoexcited electron-hole pairs effectively.It is expected that this facile modification method could be a new inspiration for the rational design and exploration of g-C3N4-based hybrid systems with strong light absorption and high-efficiency carrier separation.

Optogenetic activation of intracellular signaling based on light-inducible protein-protein homo-interactions

Dynamic protein-protein interactions are essential for proper cell functioning.Homointeraction events—physical interactions between the same type of proteins—represent a pivotal subset of protein-protein interactions that are widely exploited in activating intracellular signaling pathways.Capacities of modulating protein-protein interactions with spatial and temporal resolution are greatly desired to decipher the dynamic nature of signal transduction mechanisms.The emerging optogenetic technology,based on genetically encoded light-sensitive proteins,provides promising opportunities to dissect the highly complex signaling networks with unmatched specificity and spatiotemporal precision.Here we review recent achievements in the development of optogenetic tools enabling light-inducible protein-protein homo-interactions and their applications in optical activation of signaling pathways.

Effect of light and nutrients on interspecific interactions between submerged macrophytes:implications for restoration of multispecies aquatic vegetation in eutrophic lakes

Constructing multispecies submerged vegetation systems and maintaining stable seasonal succession is crucial for restoring shallow eutrophic lakes.However,little is known about the interactions between successional and existing species of different growth forms,particularly under the low light and high nutrient conditions of eutrophic lakes.We measured the functional traits of mature Vallisneria natans(Lour.)Hara plants and Potamogeton crispus L.shoots in monoculture and mosaic patterns under different light and nutrient conditions.The effect of light on functional traits of the submerged macrophyte species was more significant than that of nutrients,but the reverse was true for P.crispus biomass allocation.Moreover,interspecific interactions affected only the submerged macrophytes under the low light condition and varied with species.Specifically,the interaction of P.crispus to V.natans was biased towards competition,while the interaction of V.natans to P.crispus was converted from facilitation to competition by eutrophication,particularly in the homogenous mosaic growth pattern.This study demonstrates that sufficient light is a prerequisite and patch planting is an effective means to form a multispecies submerged vegetation system.In addition,we emphasize that the coexistence of eutrophication and low light will likely result in a competition between submerged macrophytes thus simplifying the vegetation,even if their growth forms and growing seasons are different.These findings help explain the collapse of multispecies submerged vegetation and guide the restoration of aquatic plants in eutrophic lakes.

Cooling Torsional Nanomechanical Vibration by Spin-Orbit Interactions

We propose and study a spin-orbit interaction based mechanism to actively cool down the torsional vibrationof a nanomechanical resonator made by semiconductor materials.We show that the spin-orbit interactions of electronscan induce a coherent coupling between the electron spins and the torsional modes of nanomechanical vibration.Thiscoupling leads to an active cooling for the torsional modes through the dynamical thermalization of the resonator by thespin ensemble.

Optical chirality induced by spin–orbit interaction of light in a tightly focused Laguerre–Gaussian beam

Optical chirality is one of the important and fundamental dynamic properties of light besides energy, momentum,and angular momentum. The quantification of electromagnetic chirality has been conceptualized only recently. Now, it is well known that for paraxial plane waves of light, the optical chirality is proportional to the ellipticity of the polarization ellipse, i.e., completely independent of the phase distribution. Here it is shown that optical vortex and state of polarization of the source paraxial field both have contributions to the optical chirality of the nonparaxial field generated by tightly focused Laguerre–Gaussian(LG) beam, which is in Stark contrast to the paraxial plane wave of light known from classical optics. The physical reason is the redistribution of local electromagnetic polarization in three dimensions associated with spin–orbit interaction.

Nonlocal Andreev reflection with Rashba spin-orbital interaction in a triple-quantum-dot ring

We theoretically studied the nonlocal Andreev reflection with Rashba spin-orbital interaction in a triple-quantumdot （QD） ring, which is introduced as Rashba spin-orbital interaction to act locally on one component quantum dot. It is found that the electronic current and spin current are sensitive to the systematic parameters. The interdot spin-flip term does not play a leading role in causing electronic and spin currents. Otherwise the spin precessing terra leads to shift of the peaks of the the spin-up and spin-down electronic currents in different directions and results in the spin current. Moreover, the spin-orbital interaction suppresses the nonlocal Andreev reflection, so we cannot obtain the pure spin current.

Two Electrons with Spin-Orbit Interactions in InAs Coupled Quantum Dots

We theoretically study the spin properties of two interacting electrons confined in the IhAs parallel coupled quantum dots （CQDs） with spin-orbit interactions （SOI） by exact diagonalization method. Through the SOI induced spin mixing of the singlet and the triplet states, we show the different spin properties for the weak and strong SOI. We investigate the coherent singlet-triplet spin oscillations of the two electrons under the SOI, and demonstrate the detailed behaviors of the spin oscillations depending on the SOI strengths, the inter-dot separations and the external magnetic fields. To better understand the underlying physics of the spin dynamics, we introduce a four-level model Hamiltonian for both weak and strong SOI, and find that the SOI induced in plane effective magnetic fields can be quantitatively extracted from the two-electron excitation energy spectra.

Spin Hall and spin Nernst effects in graphene with intrinsic and Rashba spin-orbit interactions

The spin Hall and spin Nernst effects in graphene are studied based on Green＇s function formalism. We calculate intrinsic contributions to spin Hall and spin Nernst conductivities in the Kane-Mele model with various structures. When both intrinsic and Rashba spin-orbit interactions are present, their interplay leads to some characteristics of the dependence of spin Hall and spin Nernst conductivities on the Fermi level. When the Rashba spin--orbit interaction is smaller than intrinsic spin-orbit coupling, a weak kink in the conductance appears. The kink disappears and a divergence appears when the Rashba spin-orbit interaction enhances. When the Rashba spin-orbit interaction approaches and is stronger than intrinsic spin-orbit coupling, the divergence becomes more obvious.

Two-dimensional transport and strong spin-orbit interaction in SrMnSb_2

We have carried out magneto-transport measurements for single crystal SrMnSb2. Clear Shubnikov-de Haas oscil- lations were resolved at relatively low magnetic field around 4 T, revealing a quasi-2D Fermi surface. We observed a development of quantized plateaus in Hall resistance （Rxy） at high pulsed fields up to 60 T. Due to the strong 2D confine- ment and layered properties of the samples, we interpreted the observation as bulk quantum Hall effect that is contributed by the parallel 2D conduction channels. Moreover, the spin degeneracy was lifted leading to Landau level splitting. The presence of anisotropic g factor and the formation of the oscillation beating pattern reveal a strong spin-orbit interaction in the SrMnSb2 system.

The Research of Spin-Orbital Interaction in Intermetallic Compounds of System Gd-In on Paramagnetic Area

Normal,R0,and anomalous,RS,components of the Hall coefficient are determined from the results of experimental investigations of temperature dependences of the Hall coefficient,magnetic susceptibility,and specific electrical resistance for intermetallic Gd3In,Gd3In5 and GdIn3 compounds.Effective parameters of spin-orbital interactionλSO of intermetallic compounds are calculated from anomalous components RS of the Hall coefficient and specific electrical resistance.The results calculated for the band parameters and effective parameters of spin-orbital interactionλSO for Gd-In system intermetallides coincide by orders of magnitude with the results obtained from the optical spectra of pure REMs(rare-earth metals).

Effect of the Spin-Orbit Interaction (Heisenberg XYZ Model) on Partial Entangled Quantum Network

Dzyaloshiniskii-Moriya (DM) interaction in three directions (Dx, Dy and Dz) is used to generate entangled network from partially entangled states in the presence of the spin-orbit coupling. The effect of the spin coupling on the entanglement between any two nodes of the network is investigated. The entanglement is quantified using Woottores concurrence method. It is shown that the entanglement decays as the coupling increases. For larger values of the spin coupling, the entanglement oscillates within finite bounds. For the initially entangled channels, the upper bound does not exceed its initial value, whereas the entanglement reaches its maximum value for the channels generated via indirect interaction.

Light–matter interaction of 2D materials:Physics and device applications

In the last decade, the rise of two-dimensional （2D） materials has attracted a tremendous amount of interest for the entire field of photonics and opto-electronics. The mechanism of light-matter interaction in 2D materials challenges the knowledge of materials physics, which drives the rapid development of materials synthesis and device applications. 2D materials coupled with plasmonic effects show impressive optical characteristics, involving efficient charge transfer, plas- monic hot electrons doping, enhanced light-emitting, and ultrasensitive photodetection. Here, we briefly review the recent remarkable progress of 2D materials, mainly on graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides, focusing on their tunable optical properties and improved opto-electronic devices with plasmonic effects. The mechanism of plasmon enhanced light-matter interaction in 2D materials is elaborated in detail, and the state-of-the-art of device applications is compre- hensively described. In the future, the field of 2D materials holds great promise as an important platform for materials science and opto-electronic engineering, enabling an emerging interdisciplinary research field spanning from clean energy to information technology.

Vectorial spin-orbital Hall effect of light upon tight focusing and its experimental observation in azopolymer films

Hall effect of light is a result of symmetry breaking in spin and/or orbital angular momentum(OAM)possessing optical system and is caused by e.g.refractive index gradient/interface between media or focusing of a spatially asymmetrical beam,similar to the electric field breaking the symmetry in spin Hall effect for electrons.The angular momentum(AM)conservation law in the ensuing asymmetric system dictates redistribution of spin and orbital angular momentum,and is manifested in spin-orbit,orbit-orbit,and orbit-spin conversions and reorganization,i.e.spin-orbit and orbit-orbit interaction.This AM restructuring in turn requires shifts of the barycenter of the electric field of light.In the present study we show,both analytically and by numerical simulation,how different electric field components are displaced upon tight focusing of an asymmetric light beam having OAM and spin.The relation between field components shifts and the AM components shifts/redistribution is presented too.Moreover,we experimentally demonstrate,for the first time,to the best of our knowledge,the spin-orbit Hall effect of light upon tight focusing in free space.This is achieved using azopolymers as a media detecting longitudinal or z component of the electrical field of light.These findings elucidate the Hall effect of light and may broaden the spectrum of its applications.