Wavepacket scattering on graphene edges in the presence of a (pseudo) magnetic field

TL;DR

This paper investigates how Gaussian wavepackets scatter on graphene edges under real and pseudo-magnetic fields, revealing valley-dependent scattering and non-propagating edge states induced by strain.

Contribution

It introduces a numerical method to analyze wavepacket scattering in graphene, highlighting differences between real and pseudo-magnetic field effects on edge states.

Findings

Scattering within the same valley or between valleys depends on edge type.

External magnetic fields produce skipping orbits.

Pseudo-magnetic fields induce non-propagating edge states in armchair edges.

Abstract

The scattering of a Gaussian wavepacket in armchair and zigzag graphene edges is theoretically investigated by numerically solving the time dependent Schr\"odinger equation for the tight-binding model Hamiltonian. Our theory allows to investigate scattering in reciprocal space, and depending on the type of graphene edge we observe scattering within the same valley, or between different valleys. In the presence of an external magnetic field, the well know skipping orbits are observed. However, our results demonstrate that in the case of a pseudo-magnetic field, induced by non-uniform strain, the scattering by an armchair edge results in a non-propagating edge state.