Optical trapping of electrons in graphene

TL;DR

This paper proposes a practical method to trap electrons in graphene using a specially designed electromagnetic beam, enabling non-invasive confinement without chemical or metallic modifications.

Contribution

It introduces a novel electromagnetic trapping scheme for electrons in graphene that avoids chemical patterning and metallic gating.

Findings

Successful theoretical demonstration of electron trapping in graphene

Non-invasive confinement achieved without chemical patterning

Potential for experimental implementation of electron traps

Abstract

We propose an experimentally friendly scheme for trapping quasi- relativistic elec- trons in graphene by an electromagnetic beam with circular polarization and spatially inhomogeneous profile with an intensity dip. The trapping is achieved due to the ef- fect of bandgap opening outside the trapping region. The proposed mechanism allows for non- invasive electron confinement in graphene without any need of the chemical patterning of the sample or the application of metallic gates.