Pseudo-magnetic fields in graphene in excess of 300T: theoretical framework

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new theoretical framework for calculating pseudo-magnetic fields in strained graphene, accurately reproducing experimentally observed fields exceeding 300 Tesla by considering the three-dimensional wave functions of carriers.

Contribution

It proposes a novel approach that accounts for the three-dimensional nature of carriers in graphene, leading to more precise predictions of pseudo-magnetic field magnitudes.

Findings

The framework accurately reproduces measured pseudo-magnetic fields over 300 T.

It demonstrates the importance of considering 3D wave functions in gauge field calculations.

The model aligns well with experimental observations of nanobubbles in graphene.

Abstract

The experimental demonstration of pseudo-magnetic fields exceeding 300 T in graphene [2] nanobubbles represents considerable challenge for the present theory connecting the emergence of gauge fields due to strain in the underlying lattice. Here we propose a theoretical framework within which the magnitude of the pseudo-magnetic fields can be computed more accurately. The basic feature of this framework is that the carriers in graphene are considered with their three dimensional wave function which is then gradually constrained to the graphene surface. In the process, a geometrically induced gauge field emerges in the two dimensional equation for the surface dynamics. The computation of the magnetic field associated with this gauge potential reproduces the measured field strength.