Selective Probing of Hidden Spin-Polarized States in Inversion-Symmetric Bulk MoS_{2}

Phys Rev Lett. 2017 Feb 24;118(8):086402. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.086402. Epub 2017 Feb 22.

Abstract

Spin- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy is used to reveal that a large spin polarization is observable in the bulk centrosymmetric transition metal dichalcogenide MoS_{2}. It is found that the measured spin polarization can be reversed by changing the handedness of incident circularly polarized light. Calculations based on a three-step model of photoemission show that the valley and layer-locked spin-polarized electronic states can be selectively addressed by circularly polarized light, therefore providing a novel route to probe these hidden spin-polarized states in inversion-symmetric systems as predicted by Zhang et al. [Nat. Phys. 10, 387 (2014).NPAHAX1745-247310.1038/nphys2933].