# First-principles calculations and model analysis of plasmon excitations in graphene

## TL;DR

This study uses first-principles calculations to analyze plasmon excitations in graphene and graphene/hBN heterostructures, revealing how substrates and anisotropy influence plasmon behavior and proposing a new dispersion model.

## Contribution

It introduces a unified theoretical framework for analyzing plasmon dispersion and lifetime in graphene systems, including substrate effects and a novel dispersion model for $oldsymbol{ ext{pi}}$ plasmons.

## Key findings

- The dispersion of $ ext{pi}$ plasmons follows $oldsymbol{ ext{ω}}_ ext{π}(q) = ext{√}(E_g^2 + eta q)$ at small $q$.
- Substrate and anisotropic effects significantly influence plasmon properties.
- The proposed dispersion model aligns well with first-principles calculations.

## Abstract

Plasmon excitations in free-standing graphene and graphene/hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) heterostructure are studied using linear-response time-dependent density functional theory within the random phase approximation. Within a single theoretical framework, we examine both the plasmon dispersion behavior and lifetime (line width) of Dirac and $\pi$ plasmons on an equal footing. Particular attention is paid to the influence of the hBN substrate and the anisotropic effect. Furthermore, a model-based analysis indicates that the correct dispersion behavior of $\pi$ plasmons should be $\omega_\pi(q) = \sqrt{E_g^2 + \beta q}$ for small $q$'s, where $E_g$ is the band gap at the $M$ point in the Brillouin zone, and $\beta$ is a fitting parameter. This model is radically different from previous proposals, but in good agreement with our calculated results from first principles.