Anomalous Weak Localisation Phase in Ultra-Clean van der Waals Heterostructures

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• David Perkins, University of York
• Thursday 26 May 2022, 13:15-14:30
• Theory Library.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Dr Hannah Price.

Authors: Frederico Sousa, David T. S. Perkins, Aires Ferreira

Over the past two decades, two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) materials have been the subject of numerous theoretical and experimental quantum transport investigations. In this talk we present a non-perturbative analysis of quantum corrections to the DC conductivity in 2D Dirac materials with symmetry-breaking spin-orbit coupling (SOC). We find that the commonly reported weak localisation to weak anti-localisation (WL-to-WAL) transition that is driven by increasing the strength of SOC is reversed in ultra-clean graphene heterostructures (i.e. WAL -to-WL). This counter-intuitive result can be traced back to the strong non-perturbative coupling between the pseudospin and spin degrees of freedom induced by SOC , which gaps out the delocalised modes of the Cooperon for large SOC strengths. Our results suggest that the nature of localisation in spin-orbit coupled 2D vdW materials is richer than first thought, highlighting the importance of non-perturbative methods in quantum interference studies of ultra-clean vdW heterostructures.

Acknowledgements

D.T.S.P. and A.F. acknowledge funding from the Royal Society (Grant No. URF \R\191021).

This talk is part of the Theoretical Physics Seminars series.

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