Strain-tuned optical conductivity of monolayer PbBiI

In this paper, we investigate the optical response of the PbBiI single-layer by developing a strain-induced Kane–Mele model from Peierls substitution and by employing the Kubo formula at low temperatures. We address three different regimes of uniform and non-uniform classes created by tuning the strength of the strain. From a detailed analysis of the electronic band structure, we find that the Rashba spin splitting gap is destroyed with strain, while the bulk gap slightly changes. We also find that interband optical transitions exhibit a blueshift spectrum with strain. Interestingly, all these findings are independent of the regime and class of strain. However, our simulations show that only the non-uniform class of strain leads to anisotropic optical conductivity. These results enhance optoelectronic applications of low-dimensional materials.