Position-dependent Fermi Velocity Research Articles

Bound states of Dirac fermions in the presence of a Fermi velocity modulation

We investigate the effect of a position-dependent Fermi velocity on the electronic properties of two-dimensional Dirac materials. A physical Fermi velocity distribution, which approaches a finite value at infinity and experiences a modulation near x = 0, is considered. Such a position-dependent Fermi velocity could be realized in the curved graphene or by applying strain. It is shown that the bound states are absent in the presence of a pure Fermi velocity modulation without an electrostatic potential well. However, an extra electrostatic potential modulation could produce the bound states. A set of discrete energy level spectrum and the corresponding wave functions are obtained by solving the Dirac equation exactly. Local probes such as scanning tunnel microscopy should be able to observe the predicted bound states in two-dimensional materials.

Pseudo-Hermitian Dirac operator on the torus for massless fermions under the action of external fields

The Dirac equation in (2+1) dimensions on the toroidal surface is studied for a massless fermion particle under the action of external fields. Using the covariant approach based on general relativity, the Dirac operator stemming from a metric related to the strain tensor is discussed within the pseudo-Hermitian operator theory. Furthermore, analytical solutions are obtained for two cases, namely, constant and position-dependent Fermi velocity.

Dirac equation on a catenoid bridge: a supersymmetric approach

In this paper, we study the Dirac equation for an electron constrained to move on a catenoid surface. We decoupled the two components of the spinor and obtained two Klein-Gordon-like equations. Analytical solutions were obtained using supersymetric quantum mechanics for two cases, namely the constant Fermi velocity and the position-dependent Fermi velocity cases.

Coherent states for dispersive pseudo-Landau-levels in strained honeycomb lattices

Dirac fermions in graphene may experiment dispersive pseudo-Landau levels due to a homogeneous pseudomagnetic field and a position-dependent Fermi velocity induced by strain. In this paper, we study the (semi-classical) dynamics of these particles under such a physical context from an approach of coherent states. For this purpose we use a Landau-like gauge to built Perelomov coherent states by the action of a non-unitary displacement operator $D(\alpha)$ on the fundamental state of the system. We analyze the time evolution of the probability density and the generalized uncertainty principle as well as the Wigner function for the coherent states. Our results show how $x$-momentum dependency affects the motion periodicity and the Wigner function shape in phase space.

Impact of novel electron-phonon coupling mechanisms on valley physics in two-dimensional materials

We systematically study the impact of various electron-acoustic-phonon coupling mechanisms on valley physics in two-dimensional materials. In the static strain limit, we find that Dirac cone tilt and deformation potential have analogous valley Hall response since they fall into the same universality class of pseudospin structure. However, such argument fails for the coupling mechanism with position-dependent Fermi velocity. For the isotropic case, a significant valley Hall effect occurs near charge neutrality similar to the bond-length change, whereas for the anisotropic case, the geometric valley transport is suppressed, akin to the deformation potential. Gap opening mechanism by nonuniform strain is found to totally inhibit the valley Hall transport, even if the dynamics of strains are introduced. By varying gate voltage, a tunable phonon-assisted valley Hall response can be realized, which paves a way toward rich phenomena and new functionalities of valley acoustoelectronics.

Effective magnetic field induced by inhomogeneous Fermi velocity in strained honeycomb structures

In addition to the known pseudomagnetic field, nonuniform strains independently induce a position-dependent Fermi velocity (PDFV) in graphene. Here we demonstrate that, due to the presence of a PDFV, the Dirac fermions on a nonuniform (strained) honeycomb lattice may experiment a sort of magnetic effect, which is linearly proportional to the momentum of the quasiparticle. As a consequence, the quasiparticles have a sublinear dispersion relation. Moreover, we analyze the general consequence of a PDFV on the Klein tunneling of electrons through pseudomagnetic barriers. In particular, we report an anomalous (Klein) tunneling for an electron passing across velocity barriers with magnetic features. Our findings about the effects induced by a PDFV on Dirac fermions in (2D) strained honeycomb lattice could be extended to (3D) Dirac and Weyl semimetals and/or its analogous artificial systems.

The massless Dirac–Weyl equation with deformed extended complex potentials

Basically (2 + 1)-dimensional Dirac equation with real deformed Lorentz scalar potential is investigated in this study. The position-dependent Fermi velocity function transforms Dirac Hamiltonian into a Klein–Gordon-like effective Hamiltonian system. The complex Hamiltonian and its real energy spectrum and eigenvectors are obtained analytically. Moreover, the Lie algebraic analysis is also performed.

Fingerprints of a position-dependent Fermi velocity on scanning tunnelling spectra of strained graphene

Nonuniform strain in graphene induces a position dependence of the Fermi velocity, as recently demonstrated by scanning tunnelling spectroscopy experiments. In this work, we study the effects of a position-dependent Fermi velocity on the local density of states (LDOS) of strained graphene, with and without the presence of a uniform magnetic field. The variation of LDOS obtained from tight-binding calculations is successfully explained by analytical expressions derived within the Dirac approach. These expressions also rectify a rough Fermi velocity substitution used in the literature that neglects the strain-induced anisotropy. The reported analytical results could be useful for understanding the nonuniform strain effects on scanning tunnelling spectra of graphene, as well as when it is exposed to an external magnetic field.

Bound states in graphene via Fermi velocity modulation

We obtain zero energy solutions of a (2+1)-dimensional massless Dirac-like equation with a position-dependent Fermi velocity in the presence of an electrostatic potential. Several velocity profiles and electrostatic potentials have been considered and the relation with PT symmetry has been pointed out.

Generalizing the Fermi velocity of strained graphene from uniform to nonuniform strain

The relevance of the strain-induced Dirac point shift to obtain the appropriate anisotropic Fermi velocity of strained graphene is demonstrated. Then a critical revision of the available effective Dirac Hamiltonians is made by studying in detail the limiting case of a uniform strain. An effective Dirac Hamiltonian for nonuniform strain is thus reported, which takes into account all strain-induced effects: changes in the nearest-neighbor hopping parameters, the reciprocal lattice deformation and the true shift of the Dirac point. Pseudomagnetic fields are thus explained by means of position-dependent Dirac cones, whereas complex gauge fields appear as a consequence of a position-dependent Fermi velocity. Also, position-dependent Fermi velocity effects on the spinor wavefunction are considered for interesting cases of deformations such as flexural modes.

Supersymmetric analysis of the Dirac-Weyl operator within $\mathcal{PT}$PT symmetry

Two-dimensional effective Hamiltonian for a massless Dirac electron interacting with a hyperbolic magnetic field is discussed within \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$\mathcal{PT}$\end{document}PT symmetry. Factorization method and polynomial procedures are used to solve Dirac equation for the constant Fermi velocity and the effective potential which is complex Scarf II potential. The more general effective Scarf II potential models are also obtained within pseudo-supersymmetry. Finally, an extension of Panella and Roy's work [Phys. Lett. A 376, 2580–2583 (2012)] to the both \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$\mathcal{PT}$\end{document}PT symmetric and real Scarf II partner potentials is given using the position dependent Fermi velocity.

Gauge fields from strain in graphene

We revise the tight binding approach to strained or curved graphene in the presence of external probes such as Photoemission or Scanning Tunneling Microscopy experiments. We show that extra terms arise in the continuum limit of the tight binding Hamiltonian which can not be accounted for by changes in the hopping parameters due to lattice deformations, encoded in the parameter \beta. These material independent extra couplings are of the same order of magnitude as the standard ones and have a geometric origin. They include corrections to the position-dependent Fermi velocity and to a new vector field. We show that the new vector field does not couple to electrons like a standard gauge field and that no ? \beta-independent pseudomagnetic fields exist in strained graphene.

(1+1)-Dirac bound states in one dimension, with position-dependent Fermi velocity and mass

Abstract We extend Panella and Roy’s [17] work for massless Dirac particles with position-dependent (PD) velocity. We consider Dirac particles where the mass and velocity are both position-dependent. Bound states in the continuum (BIC)-like and discrete bound state solutions are reported. It is observed that BIC-like solutions are not only feasible for the ultra-relativistic (massless) Dirac particles but also for Dirac particles with PDmass and PD-velocity that satisfy the condition m(x) v F2 (x) = A, where A ≥ 0 is constant. Dirac Pöschl-Teller and harmonic oscillator models are also reported.