Abstract
Abstract
Strong similarities for relativistic electrons stimulated from electron beams and electron clouds are merging the boundary of wave-particle duality of electrons, one of which being superposition is Cherenkov radiations. Recent quantum Cherenkov effects for non-point particles predict electron-spin flip transitions in bound- and free-electron systems like bulk dielectrics and graphene, which, however, haven’t been experimentally exemplified to date. Here, we report an analogous polariton-version quantum Cherenkov radiation, where double-cone emission processes of Cherenkov-type phonon polaritons (PhPs) and derivatives in ultrashort-pulse-stimulated ferroelectric crystals and graphene are originated from transient non-point electron wave packets, and material-specific low-frequency cutoffs are due to electron-spin flipping. Component analysis of double-cone polariton emissions is achieved by a unified quantum dynamics model, and initial polariton dynamics including abnormal backward cones in graphene are restored. The resulting quantum wave packets of PhPs are further correlated with femtosecond-laser-induced modifications inside ferroelectric lithium niobates, which realize a PhP threshold criterion for ultrasmooth femtosecond laser nanofabrication.
Publisher
Research Square Platform LLC
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