Curvature-induced pseudogauge fields from time-dependent geometries in graphene

TL;DR

This paper investigates how time-dependent geometries in graphene induce pseudogauge fields, revealing both adiabatic and nonadiabatic effects, and introduces a novel class of emergent fields linked to high-frequency cosmological models.

Contribution

It demonstrates the emergence of pseudogauge fields from time-dependent geometries in graphene, including a new nonadiabatic class using Floquet theory, bridging condensed matter and cosmological models.

Findings

Pseudogauge fields arise in graphene from time-dependent geometries.

Nonadiabatic pseudogauge fields are characterized using Floquet theory.

Potential realization of cosmological high-frequency geometries in condensed matter.

Abstract

The massless Dirac equation is studied in curved spacetime on the (2+1)-dimensional graphene sheet in time-dependent geometries. Emergent pseudogauge fields are found both in the adiabatic regime and, for high-frequency periodic geometries, in the nonadiabatic regime for a generic Friedmann-Lema\^itre-Robertson-Walker metric in Fermi normal coordinates. The former extends the conventionally understood homogeneous pseudogauge field to include weak temporal inhomogeneities. The latter, through the usage of Floquet theory, represents a new class of emergent pseudogauge field and is argued to potentially provide a condensed matter realization of cosmological high-frequency geometries.