Twisted light drives chiral excitations of interacting electrons in nanostructures with a magnetic field
Phys. Rev. B 112, 115115 – Published 8 September, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/291s-23hq
Abstract
Ultrafast control of confined two-dimensional few-electron systems requires detailed understanding of light-matter interactions at the nanoscale. Twisted light (TL), a special kind of light carrying orbital angular momentum, offers a powerful tool for driving symmetry-resolved transitions in such quantum-confined structures. We consider a simple yet realistic model in which a TL pulse interacts with a nanostructure containing two interacting, charged electrons (e.g. a semiconductor quantum dot containing two electrons) under the influence of a perpendicular magnetic field. Since image charge effects are always present in layered nanostructures, we use an effective electron-electron interaction potential of the form . For , the system acquires an underlying dynamical symmetry, which allows for analytical solutions and hence provides a clear framework for interpreting selection rules, parity transitions, and angular momentum resolved absorption features. We show that the bare Coulomb potential also generates similar energy spectra, demonstrating that the twisted-light-driven excitations are remarkably robust against the specific form of the interaction. We analyze the resulting excitation spectrum with emphasis on its chiral properties. We show that TL pulse excitation, unlike conventional dipolar fields, enables direct access to interaction-driven transitions that are otherwise symmetry forbidden. In particular, we demonstrate that TL breaks the generalized Kohn theorem, making the internal nanostructure energetic spectrum accessible through multiple-quanta orbital excitations. More broadly, our findings establish TL as a sensitive future probe of correlations, symmetry, and magneto-optical dynamics in strongly interacting confined quantum systems, revealing features that remain dark in standard low-frequency (e.g. infrared) light absorption.