Nonlinear and anisotropic polarization rotation in two-dimensional Dirac materials

Abstract

We predict nonlinear optical polarization rotation in two dimensional massless Dirac systems including graphene and 8-$Pmmn$ borophene. When illuminated, a continuous wave optical field leads to a nonlinear steady state of photo-excited carriers in the medium. The photo-excited population inversion and the inter-band coherence gives rise to a finite transverse optical conductivity, $\sigma_{xy} (\omega)$. This in turn leads to definitive signatures in associated Kerr and Faraday polarization rotation, which are measurable in a realistic experimental scenario.