English

Dirac boundary condition at the reconstructed zigzag edge of graphene

Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics 2013-07-09 v3

Abstract

Edge reconstruction modifies the electronic properties of finite graphene samples. We formulate a low-energy theory of the reconstructed zigzag edge by deriving the modified boundary condition to the Dirac equation. If the unit cell size of the reconstructed edge is not a multiple of three with respect to the zigzag unit cell, valleys remain uncoupled and the edge reconstruction is accounted for by a single angular parameter ϑ\vartheta. Dispersive edge states exist generically, unless ϑ=π/2|\vartheta| = \pi/2. We compute ϑ\vartheta from a microscopic model for the "reczag" reconstruction (conversion of two hexagons into a pentagon-heptagon pair) and show that it can be measured via the local density of states. In a magnetic field there appear three distinct edge modes in the lowest Landau level, two of which are counterpropagating.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1109.0884,
  title  = {Dirac boundary condition at the reconstructed zigzag edge of graphene},
  author = {J. A. M. van Ostaay and A. R. Akhmerov and C. W. J. Beenakker and M. Wimmer},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1109.0884},
  year   = {2013}
}

Comments

11 pages, 10 figures