Dynamic moiré-like band modulation in Dirac materials via multi-beam optical interference
Abstract
We propose a purely optical Floquet framework to dynamically generate moiré-like superlattices and quasicrystalline potentials in a gapped Dirac material, entirely bypassing the need for physical twisting. The interference of three coherent circularly polarized beams produces a triangular, valley-dependent Floquet mass landscape that folds the Dirac spectrum into a mini-Brillouin zone, driving pronounced valley-selective miniband reconstruction. We further show that the bands near the Fermi level undergo a light-driven topological phase transition. Remarkably, interfering five or seven beams yields non-crystallographic spatial patterns, giving rise to optical quasicrystals with similar valley contrasting features. Although this purely optical approach provides a versatile route to band engineering, reaching deep subwavelength modulation requires overcoming the free-space diffraction limit. To overcome this limitation, we consider highly confined, linearly polarized surface plasmon polariton fields with controlled relative phases. Their phase-controlled interference generates a spatially alternating chiral mass with zero spatial average. Consequently, the two valleys exhibit degenerate energy spectra while hosting opposite valley-resolved miniband Chern numbers. Our findings establish a reconfigurable, all-optical platform for dynamically engineering moiré-like bands, quasicrystalline electronic states, and valley-dependent topology without mechanical twisting.
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BibTeX
@misc{sinaga2026dynamic,
title = {{Dynamic moiré-like band modulation in Dirac materials via multi-beam optical interference}},
author = {Evelyn P. Sinaga and Rizky Setiawan and Herri Trilaksana and Lukas P. A. Krisna and Eddwi H. Hasdeo},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.28293},
eprint = {2609.28293},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.28293},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Dynamic moiré-like band modulation in Dirac materials via multi-beam optical interference
AU - Evelyn P. Sinaga
AU - Rizky Setiawan
AU - Herri Trilaksana
AU - Lukas P. A. Krisna
AU - Eddwi H. Hasdeo
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/23
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.28293
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.28293
AB - We propose a purely optical Floquet framework to dynamically generate moiré-like superlattices and quasicrystalline potentials in a gapped Dirac material, entirely bypassing the need for physical twisting. The interference of three coherent circularly polarized beams produces a triangular, valley-dependent Floquet mass landscape that folds the Dirac spectrum into a mini-Brillouin zone, driving pronounced valley-selective miniband reconstruction. We further show that the bands near the Fermi level undergo a light-driven topological phase transition. Remarkably, interfering five or seven beams yields non-crystallographic spatial patterns, giving rise to optical quasicrystals with similar valley contrasting features. Although this purely optical approach provides a versatile route to band engineering, reaching deep subwavelength modulation requires overcoming the free-space diffraction limit. To overcome this limitation, we consider highly confined, linearly polarized surface plasmon polariton fields with controlled relative phases. Their phase-controlled interference generates a spatially alternating chiral mass with zero spatial average. Consequently, the two valleys exhibit degenerate energy spectra while hosting opposite valley-resolved miniband Chern numbers. Our findings establish a reconfigurable, all-optical platform for dynamically engineering moiré-like bands, quasicrystalline electronic states, and valley-dependent topology without mechanical twisting.
ER -