Fractal butterflies in buckled graphene-like materials

TL;DR

This paper theoretically investigates the energy spectra and band gaps of buckled graphene-like materials under magnetic fields and periodic potentials, highlighting the effects of spin-orbit interaction and electric fields on their electronic properties.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of how spin-orbit coupling and electric fields influence the band structure and gaps in buckled graphene-like materials under magnetic flux.

Findings

Certain energy gaps are strongly affected by spin-orbit coupling.

Spin-orbit interaction opens a gap at Landau level for flux p/q=1/2.

Gap magnitude varies with spin-orbit strength and electric field.

Abstract

We study theoretically the properties of buckled graphene-like materials, such as silicene and germanene, in a strong perpendicular magnetic field and a periodic potential. We analyze how the spin-orbit interaction and the perpendicular electric field influences the energy spectra of these systems. When the magnetic flux through a unit cell of the periodic potential measured in magnetic flux quantum is a rational number, ? = p/q, then in each Landau level the energy spectra have a band structure, which is characterized by the corresponding gaps. We study the dependence of those gaps on the parameters of the buckled graphene-like materials. Although some gaps have weak dependence on the magnitude of the spin-orbit coupling and the external electric field, there are gaps that show strong nonomonotic dependence on these parameters. For ? = 1/2, the spin-orbit interaction also opens up a gap at one of the Landau levels. The magnitude of the gap increases with spin-orbit coupling and decreases with the applied electric field.