Excitons in monoclinic zinc diphosphide. Longitudinal exciton and the mixed mode

Exciton absorption spectra in high-quality β-ZnP₂ single crystals have been investigated at T=1.7 K for various directions of the wave vector and various polarization states of the radiation. It has been unambiguously established that the additional high-energy A series, which in some works has been called a D series and ascribed to ZnP₂ crystals, of so-called “rhombic” symmetry,^1,8,10,11 is an intrinsic exciton of the β-ZnP₂ series. A mixed mode has been detected for the first time, and the energy of the longitudinal exciton has been determined. The selection rules for the exciton transitions have been analyzed by a group-theoretical approach, and the symmetry of the nS states of the single exciton has been established on the basis of the experimental data — Γ ₂ ⁻ (z). Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 41, 193–202 (February 1999)