Out-of-plane corrugations in graphene based van der Waals heterostructures

Abstract

Graphene, the first truly two-dimensional material isolated, is never perfectly flat. Even when it is sandwiched between other atomically flat crystals, it still slightly ripples. These out-of-plane corrugations, deformations of the graphene layer into the third dimension, have profound implications on graphene's properties. They reduce the mobility of electrons moving within graphene just like bumps on a road slow down a car. Here, the authors demonstrate the presence of such corrugations by studying the quantum mechanical phase electrons acquire in the presence of a magnetic field.