Non-Abelian SU(2) gauge fields through density wave order and strain in graphene

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Abstract

Spatially varying strain patterns can qualitatively alter the electronic properties of graphene, acting as effective valley-dependent magnetic fields and giving rise to pseudo-Landau-level (PLL) quantization. Here, we show that the strain-induced magnetic field is one component of a non-Abelian SU(2) gauge field within the low-energy theory of graphene and identify the other two components as period-3 charge-density waves. We show that these density waves, if spatially varied, give rise to PLL quantization. We also argue that strain-induced magnetic fields can induce density-wave order in graphene, thus dynamically gapping out the lowest PLL; moreover, the ordering should generically be accompanied by dislocations. We discuss experimental signatures of these effects.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number081403
JournalPhysical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics
Volume86
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 13 2012
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
  • Condensed Matter Physics

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