Dispersive interactions between standard and Dirac materials and the role of dimensionality

TL;DR

This paper explores the dispersive van der Waals interactions between standard and Dirac materials across different dimensions, analyzing how geometry, electronic response, and thermal effects influence these interactions within the Random Phase Approximation.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of vdW interactions in 1D, 2D, and 3D standard and Dirac materials, highlighting the effects of dimensionality and electronic dispersion on these forces.

Findings

Scaling laws for vdW interactions in different dimensions

Thermal effects are more significant at smaller scales

Differences between standard and Dirac materials in dispersive interactions

Abstract

The van der Waals (vdW) interaction plays a prominent role between neutral objects at separations where short ranged chemical forces are negligible. This type of dispersive coupling is determined by the interplay between geometry and response properties of the materials making up the objects. Here, we investigate the vdW interaction between 1D, 2D, and 3D standard and Dirac materials within the Random Phase Approximation, which takes into account collective excitations originating from the electronic Coulomb potential. A comprehensive understanding of characteristic functionalities and scaling laws are obtained for systems with parabolic energy dispersion (standard materials) and crossing linear bands (Dirac materials). By comparing the quantum mechanical and thermal limits the onset of thermal fluctuations in the vdW interaction is discussed showing that thermal effects are significantly pronounced at smaller scales in reduced dimensions.