Optical Properties Of Massive Anisotropic Tilted Dirac Systems

We explore the effect of valley-contrasting gaps in the optical response of two-dimensional anisotropic tilted Dirac systems. We study the spectrum of intraband and interband transitions through the joint density of states (JDOS), the optical conductivity tensor, and the Drude spectral weight. The energy bands present an indirect gap in each valley with a reduced magnitude with respect to the nominal gap of the untilted system. Thus, a new possibility opens for the position of the Fermi level (an "indirect zone") and for the momentum space available for allowed transitions. The JDOS near each gap displays a set of three van Hove singularities which are in contrast to the case of gapped graphene (an absorption edge only) or 8-Pmmm borophene (two interband critical points due the tilt). For the Fermi level lying within the gap the JDOS shows the usual linear dependence on frequency, while when lying above an indirect zone it looks similar to the borophene case. These spectral characteristics in each valley determine the prominent structure of the optical conductivity. The longitudinal conductivity illustrates the strong anisotropy of the optical response. Similarly, the Drude weight is anisotropic and shows regions of nonlinear dependence on the Fermi level. The breaking of valley symmetry leads to a finite Hall response and associated optical properties. The anomalous and valley Hall conductivities present graphenelike behavior with characteristic modifications due to the indirect zones. Almost perfect circular dichroism and valley polarization can be achieved by tuning the exciting frequency with an appropriate Fermi level position. We also calculate the spectra of optical opacity and polarization rotation, which can reach magnitudes of tenths of radians in some cases. The spectral features of the calculated response properties are signatures of the simultaneous presence of tilt and mass, and suggest optical ways to determine the formation of different gaps in such class of Dirac systems like 8-Pmmm borophene, quinoid-type graphene, organic conductor alpha-(BEDT-TTF)(2)I-3, or some transition-metal dichalcogenides.