# Spectroscopic Signatures of Electronic Excitations in Raman Scattering in Thin Films of Rhombohedral Graphite

## TL;DR

This paper investigates how electron-hole excitations influence Raman scattering in rhombohedral graphite thin films, revealing distinct spectral features that can identify stacking order and layer count.

## Contribution

It demonstrates that electron-hole excitations produce unique Raman features in rhombohedral graphite, unlike in Bernal-stacked graphite, enabling stacking and layer number identification.

## Key findings

- Distinct Raman features linked to electron-hole excitations in rhombohedral stacking
- Raman spectra can differentiate stacking order in graphite films
- Layer number can be inferred from spectral signatures

## Abstract

Rhombohedral graphite features peculiar electronic properties, including persistence of low-energy surface bands of a topological nature. Here, we study the contribution of electron-hole excitations towards inelastic light scattering in thin films of rhombohedral graphite. We show that, in contrast to the featureless electron-hole contribution towards Raman spectrum of graphitic films with Bernal stacking, the inelastic light scattering accompanied by electron-hole excitations in crystals with rhombohedral stacking produces distinct features in the Raman signal which can be used both to identify the stacking and to determine the number of layers in the film.