arXiv subjects

L. Eaves

Publications and source records attributed to L. Eaves.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2023

A magnetically-induced Coulomb gap in graphene due to electron-electron interactions

Insights into the fundamental properties of graphene's Dirac-Weyl fermions have emerged from studies of electron tunnelling transistors in which an atomically thin layer of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) is sandwiched between two layers of high purity graphene. Here, we show that when a single defect is present within the hBN tunnel barrier, it can inject electrons into the graphene layers and its sharply defined energy level acts as a high resolution spectroscopic probe of electron-electron interactions in graphene. We report a magnetic field dependent suppression of the tunnel current flowing through a single defect below temperatures of $\sim$ 2 K. This is attributed to the formation of a magnetically-induced Coulomb gap in the spectral density of electrons tunnelling into graphene due to electron-electron interactions.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Graphene's non-equilibrium fermions reveal Doppler-shifted magnetophonon resonances accompanied by Mach supersonic and Landau velocity effects

Oscillatory magnetoresistance measurements on graphene have revealed a wealth of novel physics. These phenomena are typically studied at low currents. At high currents, electrons are driven far from equilibrium with the atomic lattice vibrations so that their kinetic energy can exceed the thermal energy of the phonons. Here, we report three non-equilibrium phenomena in monolayer graphene at high currents: (i) a "Doppler-like" shift and splitting of the frequencies of the transverse acoustic (TA) phonons emitted when the electrons undergo inter-Landau level (LL) transitions; (ii) an intra-LL Mach effect with the emission of TA phonons when the electrons approach supersonic speed, and (iii) the onset of elastic inter-LL transitions at a critical carrier drift velocity, analogous to the superfluid Landau velocity. All three quantum phenomena can be unified in a single resonance equation. They offer avenues for research on out-of-equilibrium phenomena in other two-dimensional fermion systems.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Strong magnetophonon oscillations in extra-large graphene

Van der Waals materials and their heterostructures offer a versatile platform for studying a variety of quantum transport phenomena due to their unique crystalline properties and the exceptional ability in tuning their electronic spectrum. However, most experiments are limited to devices that have lateral dimensions of only a few micrometres. Here, we perform magnetotransport measurements on graphene/hexagonal boron-nitride Hall bars and show that wider devices reveal additional quantum effects. In devices wider than ten micrometres we observe distinct magnetoresistance oscillations that are caused by resonant scattering of Landau-quantised Dirac electrons by acoustic phonons in graphene. The study allows us to accurately determine graphene's low energy phonon dispersion curves and shows that transverse acoustic modes cause most of phonon scattering. Our work highlights the crucial importance of device width when probing quantum effects and also demonstrates a precise, spectroscopic method for studying electron-phonon interactions in van der Waals heterostructures.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Magnetophonon spectroscopy of Dirac Fermion scattering by transverse and longitudinal acoustic phonons in graphene

Recently observed magnetophonon resonances in the magnetoresistance of graphene are investigated using the Kubo formalism. This analysis provides a quantitative fit to the experimental data over a wide range of carrier densities. It demonstrates the predominance of carrier scattering by low energy transverse acoustic (TA) mode phonons: the magnetophonon resonance amplitude is significantly stronger for the TA modes than for the longitudinal acoustic (LA) modes. We demonstrate that the LA and TA phonon speeds and the electron-phonon coupling strengths determined from the magnetophonon resonance measurements also provide an excellent fit to the measured dependence of the resistivity at zero magnetic field over a temperature range of 4-150 K. A semiclassical description of magnetophonon resonance in graphene is shown to provide a simple physical explanation for the dependence of the magneto-oscillation period on carrier density. The correspondence between the quantum calculation and the semiclassical model is discussed.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2018

Tunnel spectroscopy of localised electronic states in hexagonal boron nitride

Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) is a large band gap layered crystal, frequently incorporated in van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures as an insulating or tunnel barrier. Localised states with energies within its band gap can emit visible light, relevant to applications in nanophotonics and quantum information processing. However, they also give rise to conducting channels, which can induce electrical breakdown when a large voltage is applied. Here we use gated tunnel transistors to study resonant electron tunnelling through the localised states in few atomic-layer hBN barriers sandwiched between two monolayer graphene electrodes. The measurements are used to determine the energy, linewidth, tunnelling transmission probability, and depth within the barrier of more than 50 distinct localised states. A three-step process of electron percolation through two spatially separated localised states is also investigated.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2018

High-order fractal states in graphene superlattices

Graphene superlattices were shown to exhibit high-temperature quantum oscillations due to periodic emergence of delocalized Bloch states in high magnetic fields such that unit fractions of the flux quantum pierce a superlattice unit cell. Under these conditions, semiclassical electron trajectories become straight again, similar to the case of zero magnetic field. Here we report magnetotransport measurements that reveal second, third and fourth order magnetic Bloch states at high electron densities and temperatures above 100 K. The recurrence of these states creates a fractal pattern intimately related to the origin of Hofstadter butterflies. The hierarchy of the fractal states is determined by the width of magnetic minibands, in qualitative agreement with our band structure calculations.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2018

A model to inter-relate the values of the quantum electrodynamic, gravitational and cosmological constants

The fundamental constants of electromagnetism, gravity and quantum mechanics can be related empirically by the numerical approximation $\ln(V_e/V_P)\approx α^{-1}$, where $α$ is the low energy value of the electromagnetic fine structure constant and $V_e$ and $V_P$ are volumes corresponding to the classical electron radius, $r_e$, and the Planck length respectively. This logarithmic relation is used in an ideal gas model to determine the work, $W$, done when a hypothetical vacuum fluctuation expands relativistically from $V_P$ to $V_e$ in a time limited by the uncertainty principle. It is proposed that the expansion is a phenomenological representation of a quantum transition from a Planck-scale initial state into a final virtual photonic state of energy $W\simeq \hbar c/2r_e$ and lifetime $\simeq r_e/c$, occupying a volume $\simeq V_e$. The magnitude of the negative gravitational self-energy density, $ρ_G$, of this virtual state is found to be within $\sim 10\%$ of the measured value of the positive "dark energy" density, $ρ_Λ$. It is proposed that this is not merely an "accidental" numerical coincidence but has physical significance, namely that the sum of the two energy densities is zero, i.e. $ρ_Λ+ρ_G=0$. This relation gives a value of the cosmological constant, $Λ$, in agreement with astronomical measurements. The implications of these inter-relations between $Λ$, the gravitational constant, $G$, and $α$ are outlined.

physics.gen-ph↗

arXiv2017

High-temperature quantum oscillations caused by recurring Bloch states in graphene superlattices

Cyclotron motion of charge carriers in metals and semiconductors leads to Landau quantization and magneto-oscillatory behavior in their properties. Cryogenic temperatures are usually required to observe these oscillations. We show that graphene superlattices support a different type of quantum oscillations that do not rely on Landau quantization. The oscillations are extremely robust and persist well above room temperature in magnetic fields of only a few T. We attribute this phenomenon to repetitive changes in the electronic structure of superlattices such that charge carriers experience effectively no magnetic field at simple fractions of the flux quantum per superlattice unit cell. Our work points at unexplored physics in Hofstadter butterfly systems at high temperatures.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

High Electron Mobility, Quantum Hall Effect and Anomalous Optical Response in Atomically Thin InSe

A decade of intense research on two-dimensional (2D) atomic crystals has revealed that their properties can differ greatly from those of the parent compound. These differences are governed by changes in the band structure due to quantum confinement and are most profound if the underlying lattice symmetry changes. Here we report a high-quality 2D electron gas in few-layer InSe encapsulated in hexagonal boron nitride under an inert atmosphere. Carrier mobilities are found to exceed 1,000 and 10,000 cm2/Vs at room and liquid-helium temperatures, respectively, allowing the observation of the fully-developed quantum Hall effect. The conduction electrons occupy a single 2D subband and have a small effective mass. Photoluminescence spectroscopy reveals that the bandgap increases by more than 0.5 eV with decreasing the thickness from bulk to bilayer InSe. The band-edge optical response vanishes in monolayer InSe, which is attributed to monolayer's mirror-plane symmetry. Encapsulated 2D InSe expands the family of graphene-like semiconductors and, in terms of quality, is competitive with atomically-thin dichalcogenides and black phosphorus.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

Tuning the valley and chiral quantum state of Dirac electrons in van der Waals heterostructures

Chirality is a fundamental property of electrons with the relativistic spectrum found in graphene and topological insulators. It plays a crucial role in relativistic phenomena, such as Klein tunneling, but it is difficult to visualize directly. Here we report the direct observation and manipulation of chirality and pseudospin polarization in the tunneling of electrons between two almost perfectly aligned graphene crystals. We use a strong in-plane magnetic field as a tool to resolve the contributions of the chiral electronic states that have a phase difference between the two components of their vector wavefunction. Our experiments not only shed light on chirality, but also demonstrate a technique for preparing graphene's Dirac electrons in a particular quantum chiral state in a selected valley.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

Graphene-hexagonal boron nitride resonant tunneling diodes as high-frequency oscillators

We assess the potential of two-terminal graphene-hBN-graphene resonant tunneling diodes as high-frequency oscillators, using self-consistent quantum transport and electrostatic simulations to determine the time-dependent response of the diodes in a resonant circuit. We quantify how the frequency and power of the current oscillations depend on the diode and circuit parameters including the doping of the graphene electrodes, device geometry, alignment of the graphene lattices, and the circuit impedances. Our results indicate that current oscillations with frequencies of up to several hundred GHz should be achievable.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

Phonon-assisted resonant tunneling of electrons in graphene-boron nitride transistors

We observe a series of sharp resonant features in the differential conductance of graphene-hexagonal boron nitride-graphene tunnel transistors over a wide range of bias voltages between $\sim$10 and 200 mV. We attribute them to electron tunneling assisted by the emission of phonons of well-defined energy. The bias voltages at which they occur are insensitive to the applied gate voltage and hence independent of the carrier densities in the graphene electrodes, so plasmonic effects can be ruled out. The phonon energies corresponding to the resonances are compared with the lattice dispersion curves of graphene-boron nitride heterostructures and are close to peaks in the single phonon density of states.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

Resonant tunnelling between the chiral Landau states of twisted graphene lattices

A new class of multilayered functional materials has recently emerged in which the component atomic layers are held together by weak van der Waals forces that preserve the structural integrity and physical properties of each layer. An exemplar of such a structure is a transistor device in which relativistic Dirac Fermions can resonantly tunnel through a boron nitride barrier, a few atomic layers thick, sandwiched between two graphene electrodes. An applied magnetic field quantises graphene's gapless conduction and valence band states into discrete Landau levels, allowing us to resolve individual inter-Landau level transitions and thereby demonstrate that the energy, momentum and chiral properties of the electrons are conserved in the tunnelling process. We also demonstrate that the change in the semiclassical cyclotron trajectories, following a tunnelling event, is a form of Klein tunnelling for inter-layer transitions.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2014

Twist-controlled resonant tunnelling in graphene-boron nitride-graphene heterostructures

Recent developments in the technology of van der Waals heterostructures made from two-dimensional atomic crystals have already led to the observation of new physical phenomena, such as the metal-insulator transition and Coulomb drag, and to the realisation of functional devices, such as tunnel diodes, tunnel transistors and photovoltaic sensors. An unprecedented degree of control of the electronic properties is available not only by means of the selection of materials in the stack but also through the additional fine-tuning achievable by adjusting the built-in strain and relative orientation of the component layers. Here we demonstrate how careful alignment of the crystallographic orientation of two graphene electrodes, separated by a layer of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) in a transistor device, can achieve resonant tunnelling with conservation of electron energy, momentum and, potentially, chirality. We show how the resonance peak and negative differential conductance in the device characteristics induces a tuneable radio-frequency oscillatory current which has potential for future high frequency technology.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2013

Resonant tunnelling and negative differential conductance in graphene transistors

The chemical stability of graphene and other free-standing two-dimensional crystals means that they can be stacked in different combinations to produce a new class of functional materials, designed for specific device applications. Here we report resonant tunnelling of Dirac fermions through a boron nitride barrier, a few atomic layers thick, sandwiched between two graphene electrodes. The resonant peak in the device characteristics occurs when the electronic spectra of the two electrodes are aligned. The resulting negative differential conductance persists up to room temperature and is gate voltage-tuneable due to graphene's unique Dirac-like spectrum. Whereas conventional resonant tunnelling devices comprising a quantum well sandwiched between two tunnel barriers are tens of nanometres thick, the tunnelling carriers in our devices cross only a few atomic layers, offering the prospect of ultra-fast transit times. This feature, combined with the multi-valued form of the device characteristics, has potential for applications in high-frequency and logic devices.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2012

Probing the Sensitivity of Electron Wave Interference to Disorder-Induced Scattering in Solid-State Devices

The study of electron motion in semiconductor billiards has elucidated our understanding of quantum interference and quantum chaos. The central assumption is that ionized donors generate only minor perturbations to the electron trajectories, which are determined by scattering from billiard walls. We use magnetoconductance fluctuations as a probe of the quantum interference and show that these fluctuations change radically when the scattering landscape is modified by thermally-induced charge displacement between donor sites. Our results challenge the accepted understanding of quantum interference effects in nanostructures.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2012

Shape oscillations of a charged diamagnetically-levitated droplet

We investigate the effect of electrical charge on the normal mode frequencies of electrically-charged diamagnetically levitated water droplets with radii 4.5-7.5 mm using diamagnetic levitation. This technique allows us to levitate almost spherical droplets and therefore to directly compare the measured vibrational frequencies of the first seven modes of the charged droplet with theoretical values calculated by Lord Rayleigh, for which we find good agreement.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2011

Field-effect tunneling transistor based on vertical graphene heterostructures

We report a bipolar field effect tunneling transistor that exploits to advantage the low density of states in graphene and its one atomic layer thickness. Our proof-of-concept devices are graphene heterostructures with atomically thin boron nitride acting as a tunnel barrier. They exhibit room temperature switching ratios ~50, a value that can be enhanced further by optimizing the device structure. These devices have potential for high frequency operation and large scale integration.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗