Graphene's morphology and electronic properties from discrete differential geometry

Abstract

The geometry of two-dimensional crystalline membranes dictates their mechanical, electronic, and chemical properties. The local geometry of a surface is determined from the two invariants of the metric and the curvature tensors. Here we discuss those invariants directly from atomic positions in terms of angles, areas, and vertex and normal vectors from carbon atoms on the graphene lattice, for arbitrary elastic regimes and atomic conformations, and without recourse to an effective continuum model. The geometrical analysis of graphene membranes under mechanical load is complemented with a study of the local density of states (LDOS), discrete induced gauge potentials, velocity renormalization, and nontrivial electronic effects originating from the scalar deformation potential. The asymmetric LDOS is related to sublattice-specific deformation potential differences, giving rise to the pseudomagnetic field. The results here enable the study of geometrical, mechanical, and electronic properties for arbitrarily shaped graphene membranes in experimentally relevant regimes without recourse to differential geometry and continuum elasticity.