Graphene nanoribbons in criss-crossed electric and magnetic fields.
Graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) in mutually perpendicular electric and magnetic fields are shown to exhibit dramatic changes in their band structure and electron-transport properties. A strong electric field across the ribbon induces multiple chiral Dirac points, closing the semiconducting gap in armchair GNRs. A perpendicular magnetic field induces partially formed Landau levels as well as dispersive surface-bound states. Each of the applied fields on its own preserves the even symmetry E(k)=E(-k) of the sub-band dispersion. When applied together, they reverse the dispersion parity to be odd, which gives E(e,k)=-E(h,-k), and mix the electron and hole sub-bands within the energy range corresponding to the change in potential across the ribbon. This leads to oscillations of the ballistic conductance within this energy range. The broken time-reversal symmetry provides dichroism in the absorption of the circularly polarized light. As a consequence, one can observe electrically enhanced Faraday rotation, since the edges of the ribbon provide formation of the substantial density of states.
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Hunter College of City University of New York, 695 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10065-50085, USA. avroslyak@gmail.com
Oleksiy
O
Roslyak
Godfrey
G
Gumbs
Danhong
D
Huang