Gapped out-of-phase plasmon modes in alternating-twist multilayer graphene

Abstract

We theoretically investigate the plasmon modes of alternating-twist multilayer graphene. In multilayer systems, interlayer coupling gives rise to distinctive plasmon modes, but calculations in moir\'e systems remain challenging due to their complex tunneling structures. Using the Kac-Murdock-Szeg\H{o} Toeplitz formalism, we derive that the in-phase mode exhibits the conventional $\sqrt{q}$ behavior, while the out-of-phase modes acquire plasmon gaps determined by specific interband transitions between Dirac cones with different velocities in the long-wavelength limit. We demonstrate that these out-of-phase modes remain undamped in the weak Coulomb-interaction limit when the twist angle exceeds a critical value ($\theta \gtrsim 2.75^\circ$ for the alternating-twist trilayer case), regardless of the carrier density as long as the low-energy effective Dirac Hamiltonian remains valid. Furthermore, we consider the effect of a perpendicular electric field, and demonstrate how plasmon modes can be tuned by a gate voltage.