Localized states due to expulsion of resonant impurity levels from the continuum in bilayer graphene

TL;DR

This paper investigates how impurity levels in bilayer graphene can become localized within the band gap due to bias-induced effects, revealing bias polarity-dependent impurity states with potential for gate-controlled electronic phenomena.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed analysis of impurity-induced localized states in biased bilayer graphene, highlighting the impact of bias polarity on impurity state formation and transport properties.

Findings

Positive bias creates in-gap localized states from impurity levels.

Negative bias results in broadening of impurity levels without localization.

Implications include potential gate-controlled Kondo effect.

Abstract

Anderson impurity problem is considered for a graphene bilayer subject to a gap-opening bias. In-gap localized states are produced even when the impurity level overlaps with the continuum of band electrons. The effect depends strongly on the polarity of the applied bias as long as hybridization with the impurity occurs within a single layer. For an impurity level inside the conduction band a positive bias creates the new localized in-gap state. A negative bias does not produce the same result and leads to a simple broadening of the impurity level. The implications for transport are discussed including a possibility of gate-controlled Kondo effect.