Large enhancement of nonlinear optical response of graphene nanoribbon heterojunctions with multiple topological interface states

Abstract

We investigate the nonlinear optical response of graphene nanoribbon (GNR) heterojunctions both without and with one or multiple topological interface states. By implementing a distant-neighbor quantum-mechanical (DNQM) method, we demonstrate a pronounced enhancement of the nonlinear optical response of GNR heterojunctions as the number of topological states at their interfaces increases. Specifically, we find that GNR heterojunctions with multiple topological interface states exhibit a notably stronger third-order nonlinear optical response in comparison with their similarly sized counterparts with a single topological interface state or without such states. Furthermore, we observe that the presence of topological interface states in GNR heterojunctions can induce a significant red-shift of the resonance frequency of their linear and nonlinear optical response. Our results reveal the potential to enhance the nonlinear optical response at the nanoscale by increasing the number of topological interface states in graphene nanostructures or other topological systems.