Experimental observation of spin-split energy dispersion in high-mobility single-layer graphene/WSe2 heterostructures

TL;DR

This study experimentally reveals spin-split energy bands and increased Fermi velocity in high-mobility graphene/WSe2 heterostructures due to proximity-induced spin-orbit coupling, advancing understanding of graphene's band structure modifications.

Contribution

First experimental determination of the band structure of graphene with strong proximity-induced spin-orbit coupling using quantum oscillations.

Findings

Observation of clear spin-splitting in graphene bands.

Detection of a band gap opening and band inversion.

Identification of valley-Zeeman and Rashba SOC as primary influences.

Abstract

Proximity-induced spin-orbit coupling in graphene has led to the observation of intriguing phenomena like time-reversal invariant $\mathbb{Z}_2$ topological phase and spin-orbital filtering effects. An understanding of the effect of spin-orbit coupling on the band structure of graphene is essential if these exciting observations are to be transformed into real-world applications. In this research article, we report the experimental determination of the band structure of single-layer graphene (SLG) in the presence of strong proximity-induced spin-orbit coupling. We achieve this in high-mobility hBN-encapsulated SLG/WSe2 heterostructures through measurements of quantum oscillations. We observe clear spin-splitting of the graphene bands along with a substantial increase in the Fermi velocity. Using a theoretical model with realistic parameters to fit our experimental data, we uncover evidence of a band gap opening and band inversion in the SLG. Further, we establish that the deviation of the low-energy band structure from pristine SLG is determined primarily by the valley-Zeeman SOC and Rashba SOC, with the Kane-Mele SOC being inconsequential. Despite robust theoretical predictions and observations of band-splitting, a quantitative measure of the spin-splitting of the valence and the conduction bands and the consequent low-energy dispersion relation in SLG was missing -- our combined experimental and theoretical study fills this lacuna.