Abstract
Directional transport and propagation of quantum particle and current, such as electron, photon, spin, and phonon, are known to occur in the materials system with broken inversion symmetry, as exemplified by the diode in semiconductor p–n junction and the natural optical activity in chiral materials. Such a nonreciprocal response in the quantum materials of noncentrosymmetry occurs ubiquitously when the time-reversal symmetry is further broken by applying a magnetic field or with spontaneous magnetization, such as the magnetochiral effect and the nonreciprocal magnon transport or spin current in chiral magnets. In the nonlinear regime responding to the square of current and electric field, even a more variety of nonreciprocal phenomena can show up, including the photocurrent of topological origin and the unidirectional magnetoresistance in polar/chiral semiconductors. Microscopically, these nonreciprocal responses in the quantum materials are frequently encoded by the quantum Berry phase, the toroidal moment, and the magnetoelectric monopole, thus cultivating the fertile ground of the functional topological materials. Here, we review the basic mechanisms and emergent phenomena and functions of the nonreciprocal responses in the noncentrosymmetric quantum materials.
Highlights
Directional transport and propagation of quantum particle and current, such as electron, photon, spin, and phonon, are known to occur in the materials system with broken inversion symmetry, as exemplified by the diode in semiconductor p–n junction and the natural optical activity in chiral materials
While the physical mechanisms of the phenomena and effects listed in this table will be discussed below in detail, we stress here that nonreciprocal responses touch the most fundamental issues of condensed matter physics such as symmetries, quantum geometrical nature of electrons, and electron correlation
Onsager recognized the role of T^-symmetry in the microscopic dynamics of the system appearing in the macroscopic response functions linear to the external stimuli[2,3]
Summary
1234567890():,; Directional transport and propagation of quantum particle and current, such as electron, photon, spin, and phonon, are known to occur in the materials system with broken inversion symmetry, as exemplified by the diode in semiconductor p–n junction and the natural optical activity in chiral materials. In the nonlinear regime responding to the square of current and electric field, even a more variety of nonreciprocal phenomena can show up, including the photocurrent of topological origin and the unidirectional magnetoresistance in polar/chiral semiconductors These nonreciprocal responses in the quantum materials are frequently encoded by the quantum Berry phase, the toroidal moment, and the magnetoelectric monopole, cultivating the fertile ground of the functional topological materials. While the physical mechanisms of the phenomena and effects listed in this table will be discussed below in detail, we stress here that nonreciprocal responses touch the most fundamental issues of condensed matter physics such as symmetries, quantum geometrical nature of electrons, and electron correlation
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