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Retro reflection of electrons at the interface of bilayer graphene and superconductor

Electron reflection at an interface is a fundamental quantum transport phenomenon. The most famous electron reflection is the electron→hole Andreev reflection (AR) at a metal/superconductor interface. While AR can be either specular or retro-type, electron→electron reflection is limited to only the...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Ang, Yee Sin, Ma, Zhongshui, Zhang, C.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Nature Publishing Group 2012
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3527828/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23264876
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep01013
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author Ang, Yee Sin
Ma, Zhongshui
Zhang, C.
author_facet Ang, Yee Sin
Ma, Zhongshui
Zhang, C.
author_sort Ang, Yee Sin
collection PubMed
description Electron reflection at an interface is a fundamental quantum transport phenomenon. The most famous electron reflection is the electron→hole Andreev reflection (AR) at a metal/superconductor interface. While AR can be either specular or retro-type, electron→electron reflection is limited to only the specular type. Here we show that electrons can undergo retro-reflection in bilayer graphene (BLG). The underlying mechanism for this previously unknown process is the anisotropic constant energy band contour of BLG. The electron group velocity is fully reversed upon reflection, causing electrons to be retro-reflected. Utilizing a BLG/superconductor junction (BLG/S) as a model structure, we show that the unique low energy quasiparticle nature of BLG results in two striking features: (1) AR is completely absent, making BLG/S 100% electron reflective; (2) electrons are valley-selectively focused upon retro-reflection. Our results suggest that BLG/S is a valley-selective Veselago electron focusing mirror which can be useful in valleytronic applications.
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spelling pubmed-35278282012-12-21 Retro reflection of electrons at the interface of bilayer graphene and superconductor Ang, Yee Sin Ma, Zhongshui Zhang, C. Sci Rep Article Electron reflection at an interface is a fundamental quantum transport phenomenon. The most famous electron reflection is the electron→hole Andreev reflection (AR) at a metal/superconductor interface. While AR can be either specular or retro-type, electron→electron reflection is limited to only the specular type. Here we show that electrons can undergo retro-reflection in bilayer graphene (BLG). The underlying mechanism for this previously unknown process is the anisotropic constant energy band contour of BLG. The electron group velocity is fully reversed upon reflection, causing electrons to be retro-reflected. Utilizing a BLG/superconductor junction (BLG/S) as a model structure, we show that the unique low energy quasiparticle nature of BLG results in two striking features: (1) AR is completely absent, making BLG/S 100% electron reflective; (2) electrons are valley-selectively focused upon retro-reflection. Our results suggest that BLG/S is a valley-selective Veselago electron focusing mirror which can be useful in valleytronic applications. Nature Publishing Group 2012-12-21 /pmc/articles/PMC3527828/ /pubmed/23264876 http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep01013 Text en Copyright © 2012, Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/
spellingShingle Article
Ang, Yee Sin
Ma, Zhongshui
Zhang, C.
Retro reflection of electrons at the interface of bilayer graphene and superconductor
title Retro reflection of electrons at the interface of bilayer graphene and superconductor
title_full Retro reflection of electrons at the interface of bilayer graphene and superconductor
title_fullStr Retro reflection of electrons at the interface of bilayer graphene and superconductor
title_full_unstemmed Retro reflection of electrons at the interface of bilayer graphene and superconductor
title_short Retro reflection of electrons at the interface of bilayer graphene and superconductor
title_sort retro reflection of electrons at the interface of bilayer graphene and superconductor
topic Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3527828/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23264876
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep01013
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