Selection Rules of Linear and Nonlinear Polarization-Selective Absorption in Optically Dressed Matter

Abstract

Dynamical symmetries of laser-dressed matter determine the selection rules that influence its absorption spectrum. We explore selection rules for polarization-sensitive absorption in Floquet matter, using Floquet group theory in synthetic dimensions. We present comprehensive tables of selection rules that polarization-structured light impose on Floquet dark states and Floquet dark bands. Notably, our tables encompass nonlinear absorption for all nonlinear orders, revealing that different nonlinear orders follow distinct polarization selection rules, potentially leading to polarization-tunable optical filters.