Bilayer graphene: gap tunability and edge properties

Bilayer graphene -- two coupled single graphene layers stacked as in graphite -- provides the only known semiconductor with a gap that can be tuned externally through electric field effect. Here we use a tight binding approach to study how the gap changes with the applied electric field. Within a parallel plate capacitor model and taking into account screening of the external field, we describe real back gated and/or chemically doped bilayer devices. We show that a gap between zero and midinfrared energies can be induced and externally tuned in these devices, making bilayer graphene very appealing from the point of view of applications. However, applications to nanotechnology require careful treatment of the effect of sample boundaries. This being particularly true in graphene, where the presence of edge states at zero energy -- the Fermi level of the undoped system -- has been extensively reported. Here we show that also bilayer graphene supports surface states localized at zigzag edges. The presence of two layers, however, allows for a new type of edge state which shows an enhanced penetration into the bulk and gives rise to band crossing phenomenon inside the gap of the biased bilayer system.Comment: 8 pages, 3 fugures, Proceedings of the International Conference on Theoretical Physics: Dubna-Nano200

The role of pressure on the magnetism of bilayer graphene

We study the effect of pressure on the localized magnetic moments induced by vacancies in bilayer graphene in the presence of topological defects breaking the bipartite nature of the lattice. By using a mean-field Hubbard model we address the two inequivalent types of vacancies that appear in the Bernal stacking bilayer graphene. We find that by applying pressure in the direction perpendicular to the layers the critical value of the Hubbard interaction needed to polarize the system decreases. The effect is particularly enhanced for one type of vacancies, and admits straightforward generalization to multilayer graphene in Bernal stacking and graphite. The present results clearly demonstrate that the magnetic behavior of multilayer graphene can be affected by mechanical transverse deformation

Algebraic solution of a graphene layer in a transverse electric and perpendicular magnetic fields

We present an exact algebraic solution of a single graphene plane in transverse electric and perpendicular magnetic fields. The method presented gives both the eigen-values and the eigen-functions of the graphene plane. It is shown that the eigen-states of the problem can be casted in terms of coherent states, which appears in a natural way from the formalism.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in Journal of Physics Condensed Matte

Beyond the soft photon approximation in radiative production and decay of charged vector mesons

We study the effects of model-dependent contributions and the electric quadrupole moment of vector mesons in the decays $V^- \to P^-P^0\gamma$ and $\tau^- \to \nu V^-\gamma$. Their interference with the amplitude originating from the radiation due to electric charges vanishes for photons emitted collinearly to the charged particle in the final state. This brings further support to our claim in previous works, that measurements of the photon energy spectrum for nearly collinear photons in those decays are suitable for a first measurement of the magnetic dipole moment of charged vector mesons.Comment: 13 pages, 2 eps figures, Latex. Accepted for publication in Journal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle Physics(2001

Structure-dependent radiative corrections to phi -> K^+K^-/K_LK_S decays

Current predictions for the ratio of phi -> K^+K^-/K_LK_S decay rates exceed the corresponding experimental value in about five standard deviations. By far, the dominant sources of isospin breaking to this ratio are the phase-space (52%) and the electromagnetic radiative (4.3%, computed within scalar QED) corrections. Here we estimate the effects of the electromagnetic structure of kaons and other model-dependent contributions into the radiative corrections.Comment: 8 pages, Latex, 2 .eps figure

Quantum quench dynamics and population inversion in bilayer graphene

The gap in bilayer graphene (BLG) can directly be controlled by a perpendicular electric field. By tuning the field through zero at a finite rate in neutral BLG, excited states are produced. Due to screening, the resulting dynamics is determined by coupled non-linear Landau-Zener models. The generated defect density agrees with Kibble-Zurek theory in the presence of subleading logarithmic corrections. After the quench, population inversion occurs for wavevectors close to the Dirac point. This could, at least in principle provide a coherent source of infra-red radiation with tunable spectral properties (frequency and broadening). Cold atoms with quadratic band crossing exhibit the same dynamics.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, 1 tabl