Electron-phonon Cerenkov instability in graphene revealed by global and local noise measurements

ORAL

Abstract



Understanding and controlling non-equilibrium electronic phenomena is an outstanding challenge in science and engineering. Graphene presents a particularly interesting system for studying such effects because its high mobility means electrons may be accelerated very far out of equilibrium. We find that when fully encapsulated graphene is driven with a sufficiently high DC current, the drift velocity of the electrons exceeds the phase velocity of sound. This results in population inversion of the electronic system and stimulated emission of phonons becomes the dominant scattering process. This phonon Cerenkov effect leads to a runaway growth of certain phonon modes in the direction of momentum flow. Using NV centers as local noise probes, we map the exponential spatial growth of the phonon population by measuring the resulting local current fluctuations. Additionally, we measure a significantly altered global noise spectrum and AC conductivity at GHz frequencies, both of which are well described by stimulated emission of acoustic phonons. Since the amplified phonons are primarily in the THz range, the observation of a phonon Cerenkov effect in graphene is a first step towards realizing an on-chip generator of THz sound and radiation.

*DARPA
NSF
NSSEFF

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Presenters

  • Bo Dwyer

    • Harvard University
    • Physics, Harvard University

Authors

  • Bo Dwyer

    • Harvard University
    • Physics, Harvard University

  • Javier D Sanchez-Yamagishi

    • University of California Irvine
    • Physics, University of California Irvine

  • Trond I Andersen

    • Harvard University

  • Joaquin Rodriguez Nieva

    • Physics, Harvard University
    • Harvard University

  • Kartiek Agarwal

    • McGill University
    • Princeton University

  • Takashi Taniguchi

    • National Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305 0044, Japan
    • National Institute for Materials Science
    • Advanced Materials Laboratory, National Institute for Materials Science, , 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba 305-0044, Japan
    • National Institute for Material Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba 305-0044
    • National Institute of Materials Science
    • NIMS, Japan
    • Advanced Materials Laboratory, NIMS
    • National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Japan
    • Advanced Materials Laboratory, National Institute for Materials Science
    • National Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba 305-0044, Japan
    • National Institute for Materials Science, 1-2-1 Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044, Japan
    • National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS)
    • NIMS Tsukuba
    • NIMS
    • National Institute for Material Science
    • National Institute for Materials Science, Japan
    • National Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Japan
    • National Institute for Materials Science , Japan
    • Advanced Materials Laboratory, National Institute for Materials Science, Japan
    • Advanced Materials Laboratory, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044, Japan
    • National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305- 0044, Japan
    • National Institute for Material Science - Japan
    • National Institute for Materials Science, Namiki Tsukuba Ibaraki, Japan
    • National Institute of Material Science
    • Advanced Material Lab, NIMS
    • Advanced Materials Laboratory, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Japan
    • Advanced Materials Laboratory, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
    • National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba
    • 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, National Institute for Materials Science
    • NIMS/Tsukuba
    • National Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, 305-0044 Japan
    • National Institute for Materials Science, Namiki, 305-0044, Japan
    • National Institute for Material Science, Japan
    • Advanced Materials Laboratory, NIMS, Japan
    • Advanced Materials Labaratory, National Institute for Materials Science
    • National Institute of Material Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 205-0044, Japan
    • National Institute of Materials Science, Japan

  • Kenji Watanabe

    • National Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305 0044, Japan
    • Advanced Materials Laboratory, National Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba 305-0044, Japan
    • National Institute for Materials Science
    • Advanced Materials Laboratory, National Institute for Materials Science, , 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba 305-0044, Japan
    • National Institute for Material Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba 305-0044
    • National Institute of Materials Science
    • NIMS, Japan
    • Advanced Materials Laboratory, NIMS
    • National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Japan
    • National Institute for Materials Science, Japan
    • Advanced Materials Laboratory, National Institute for Materials Science
    • National Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba 305-0044, Japan
    • National Institute for Materials Science, 1-2-1 Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044, Japan
    • National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS)
    • NIMS Tsukuba
    • National Institute for Materials Science (Japan)
    • NIMS
    • National Institute for Material Science
    • National Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Japan
    • National Institute for Materials Science , Japan
    • National Institute for Materials Science, Namiki 1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044, Japan.
    • Advanced Materials Laboratory, National Institute for Materials Science, Japan
    • Advanced Materials Laboratory, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044, Japan
    • National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305- 0044, Japan
    • National Institute for Material Science - Japan
    • National Institute for Materials Science, Namiki Tsukuba Ibaraki, Japan
    • National Institute of Material Science
    • Advanced Material Lab, NIMS
    • Advanced Materials Laboratory, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Japan
    • Advanced Materials Laboratory, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
    • National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba
    • 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, National Institute for Materials Science
    • NIMS/Tsukuba
    • National Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, 305-0044 Japan
    • National Institute for Materials Science, Namiki, 305-0044, Japan
    • National Institute for Material Science, Japan
    • Advanced Materials Laboratory, NIMS, Japan
    • Columbia University
    • Advanced Materials Labaratory, National Institute for Materials Science
    • National Institute of Material Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 205-0044, Japan
    • National Institute of Materials Science, Japan

  • Eugene Demler

    • Physics Department, Harvard University
    • Harvard University

  • Philip Kim

    • Harvard University
    • Department of Physics, Harvard University & School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University
    • Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
    • Physics, Harvard University
    • Physics and Applied Physics, Harvard University
    • Physics department, Harvard University

  • Hongkun Park

    • Dept. of Chemistry and Chemical Biology and Dept. of Physics, Harvard University
    • Harvard University
    • Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University

  • Mikhail Lukin

    • Harvard University
    • Physics, Harvard University