Chiroptical Valleytronic in SnSe

Overview & Synopsis

Quantum geometric properties of Bloch electrons play a central role in governing light-matter interactions and transport phenomena in solids. Here, we report quantum-geometric chiroptical selection rules that generate a helicity-dependent momentum-space population imbalance in the group-IV monochalcogenide SnSe. By combining time- and angle-resolved extreme-ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy with ab initio real-time simulations of photoexcited carrier dynamics, we identify valley-selective excitation at opposite crystal momenta arising from the breaking of time-reversal symmetry under circularly polarized illumination. We theoretically demonstrate that the magnitude of valley circular dichroism is strongly constrained by crystal symmetry through its influence on the quantum geometric tensor, the key quantity underlying valley optical selection rules. The resulting chiroptically induced valley polarization decays on sub-picosecond timescales through intervalley scattering mediated by electron-phonon coupling. Furthermore, we show theoretically that the population imbalance between valleys at opposite momenta gives rise to a helicity-reversible transient photocurrent. These findings provide microscopic insight into how quantum geometry governs valley-selective light-matter interactions, valley polarization, and photocurrent generation in van der Waals materials exhibiting hidden and transient symmetry breaking.