The optical conductivity of graphene strained uniaxially is studied within the Kubo-Greenwood formalism. Focusing on inter-band absorption, we analyze and quantify the breakdown of universal transparency in the visible region of the spectrum, and analytically characterize the transparency as a function of strain and polarization. Measuring transmittance as a function of incident polarization directly reflects the magnitude and direction of strain. Moreover, direction-dependent selection rules permit identification of the lattice orientation by monitoring the van-Hove transitions. These photoelastic effects in graphene can be explored towards atomically thin, broadband optical elements.
@article{arxiv.1012.0127,
title = {Optical Properties of Strained Graphene},
author = {Vitor M. Pereira and R. M. Ribeiro and N. M. R. Peres and A. H. Castro Neto},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1012.0127},
year = {2011}
}