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Enhanced Terahertz Emission Enabled by Circular Photogalvanic Effect

Da Tian1,2,*, Lei Wang3,*, Zhongqiang Chen4,*, Anke Song4, Kankan Xu4, Zhikang Jiang3, Jialiang Huang1, Wei Zhang1, Lei Wang1 et al.

Junwei Liu1, Qiannan Li1, Zhichao Chen1, Jingbo Wu1,2, Kebin Fan1,2, Huabing Wang1,2, Jian Chen1,2, Peiheng Wu1, Caihong Zhang1,2,†, Xuefeng Wang4,‡, Ke Xia3,§, and Biaobing Jin1,2,¶

  • 1Research Institute of Superconductor Electronics (RISE) and Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems with Extreme Performances of MOE, School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, People’s Republic of China
  • 2Purple Mountain Laboratories, Nanjing 211111, People’s Republic of China
  • 3Key Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, People’s Republic of China
  • 4Institute of Atomic Scale Manufacturing, State Key Laboratory of Spintronics, School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, People’s Republic of China

  • *These authors contributed equally to this work.
  • †Contact author: chzhang@nju.edu.cn
  • ‡Contact author: xfwang@nju.edu.cn
  • §Contact author: kexia@seu.edu.cn
  • Contact author: bbjin@nju.edu.cn

Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 116904 – Published 9 September, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/zlmj-gpj9

Abstract

Topological materials host exotic phenomena rooted in their distinctive band topology, where band splitting plays a central role in spin transport and nonlinear optical responses. Terahertz (THz) emission spectroscopy provides a time-resolved probe of carrier dynamics governed by band splitting. In ferromagnet-topological material heterostructures, THz emission is typically attributed to spin-to-charge conversion (SCC). However, emerging experimental observations indicate that the SCC mechanism alone cannot fully account for the dominant origin of THz emission in certain systems, the potential contribution of band splitting in topological materials remaining unexplored. Here, we demonstrate that PtTe2/Cr5Te6 heterostructures exhibit enhanced, field-free THz emission that is not driven by SCC, but by the circular photogalvanic effect (CPGE). Supported by the control experiments and first-principles calculations, we show that band engineering at the heterointerface is essential for CPGE-driven ultrafast photocurrents. Remarkably, the polarity of the emitted THz wave can be reversibly and deterministically switched by the laser helicity without altering the magnetic field. These findings highlight the photogalvanic effect as a powerful and versatile origin of THz generation in spintronic heterostructures. Our Letter paves a pathway toward all-optical, helicity-controlled ultrafast THz sources and spin-optoelectronic devices based on quantum materials.

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