Spontaneous polarization dynamics in V-doped monolayer MoS2

Abstract

Valleytronics has drawn attention both for its fundamental aspects and potential applications in device technology. Lifting the valley degeneracy is an attractive route to achieve stable valley polarization and spontaneous valley polarization. Our first-principles calculations on V-doped monolayer MoS2 reveal a substantial permanent valley splitting of 174 meV, driven by the combined effects of spin-orbit coupling (SOC) and magnetic coupling with the doped atom. Non-adiabatic molecular dynamics simulations show that the spontaneous valley polarization dynamics depends on the SOC, electron-phonon (e-ph) coupling and the scattering with the impurity, and it varies notably with different initial spin orientations of excited holes. For spin-up holes, the process involves e-ph scattering and spin-flip induced by spinor-phonon scattering over several picoseconds. On the other hand, spin-down hole excitation leads to spontaneous polarization through e-ph and impurity scattering on a timescale shorter by an order of magnitude. This study provides insights into the distinct valley polarization dynamics of carriers with different spins, contributing to the design of ultrafast valleytronic and spintronic devices.