Probing quantum geometry through optical conductivity and magnetic circular dichroism

Abstract

Probing ground-state quantum geometry and topology through optical responses is not only of fundamental interest, but it can also offer several practical advantages. Here, using first-principles calculations on thin films of the antiferromagnetic topological insulator MnBi2Te4, we demonstrate how the generalized optical weight arising from the absorptive part of the optical conductivity can be used to probe the ground-state quantum geometry and topology. We show that three-septuple-layer MnBi2Te4 film exhibit an enhanced, almost-perfect magnetic circular dichroism for a narrow photon energy window in the infrared region. We calculate the quantum weight in this MnBi2Te4 film and show that it far exceeds the lower bound provided by the Chern number. Our results suggest that the well-known optical methods are powerful tools for probing the ground-state quantum geometry and topology.