Coherent optical driving can effectively modify the properties of electronic valleys in transition metal dichalcogenides. Here, we observe a new type of optical Stark effect in monolayer WS2, one that is mediated by intervalley biexcitons under the blue-detuned driving with circularly polarized light. We find that such helical optical driving not only induces an exciton energy downshift at the excitation valley but also causes an anomalous energy upshift at the opposite valley, which is normally forbidden by the exciton selection rules but now made accessible through the intervalley biexcitons. These findings reveal the critical, but hitherto neglected, role of biexcitons to couple the two seemingly independent valleys, and to enhance the optical control in valleytronics.
Keywords: WS2; biexciton; blue detuned; optical Stark effect; ultrafast optics; valley.