Imaging quantum oscillations and millitesla pseudomagnetic fields in graphene

Abstract

The exceptional control of the electronic energy bands in atomically thin quantum materials has led to the discovery of several emergent phenomena1. However, at present there is no versatile method for mapping the local band structure in advanced two-dimensional materials devices in which the active layer is commonly embedded in the insulating layers and metallic gates. Using a scanning superconducting quantum interference device, here we image the de Haas–van Alphen quantum oscillations in a model system, the Bernal-stacked trilayer graphene with dual gates, which shows several highly tunable bands2–4. By resolving thermodynamic quantum oscillations spanning more than 100 Landau levels in low magnetic fields, we reconstruct the band structure and its evolution with the displacement field with excellent precision and nanoscale spatial resolution. Moreover, by developing Landau-level interferometry, we show shear-strain-induced pseudomagnetic fields and map their spatial dependence. In contrast to artificially induced large strain, which leads to pseudomagnetic fields of hundreds of tesla5–7, we detect naturally occurring pseudomagnetic fields as low as 1 mT corresponding to graphene twisting by 1 millidegree, two orders of magnitude lower than the typical angle disorder in twisted bilayer graphene8–11. This ability to resolve the local band structure and strain at the nanoscale level enables the characterization and use of tunable band engineering in practical van der Waals devices.