Guiding Dirac fermions in graphene with a carbon nanotube

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how a carbon nanotube can create a one-dimensional electrostatic potential in graphene, guiding Dirac fermions in a single mode with minimal distortion, akin to optical fiber guidance.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method to guide Dirac fermions in graphene using a carbon nanotube-generated electrostatic potential, enabling single-mode electronic waveguiding.

Findings

Successful creation of a single guided mode in graphene

Independent control and measurement of nanotube and graphene

Minimal distortion in electronic transmission

Abstract

Relativistic massless charged particles in a two-dimensional conductor can be guided by a one-dimensional electrostatic potential, in an analogous manner to light guided by an optical fiber. We use a carbon nanotube to generate such a guiding potential in graphene and create a single mode electronic waveguide. The nanotube and graphene are separated by a few nanometers and can be controlled and measured independently. As we charge the nanotube, we observe the formation of a single guided mode in graphene that we detect using the same nanotube as a probe. This single electronic guided mode in graphene is sufficiently isolated from other electronic states of linear Dirac spectrum continuum, allowing the transmission of information with minimal distortion.