1 research outputs found
Graphene: new bridge between condensed matter physics and quantum electrodynamics
Graphene is the first example of truly two-dimensional crystals - it's just
one layer of carbon atoms. It turns out to be a gapless semiconductor with
unique electronic properties resulting from the fact that charge carriers in
graphene demonstrate charge-conjugation symmetry between electrons and holes
and possess an internal degree of freedom similar to ``chirality'' for
ultrarelativistic elementary particles. It provides unexpected bridge between
condensed matter physics and quantum electrodynamics (QED). In particular, the
relativistic Zitterbewegung leads to the minimum conductivity of order of
conductance quantum in the limit of zero doping; the concept of Klein
paradox (tunneling of relativistic particles) provides an essential insight
into electron propagation through potential barriers; vacuum polarization
around charge impurities is essential for understanding of high electron
mobility in graphene; index theorem explains anomalous quantum Hall effect.Comment: misprints are fixed; to appear in special issue of Solid State
Communication