Monday, November 17, 2008, Joint Physics Colloquium, 4:30 PM, Wean 7500, CMU

Eva Y. Andrei

Rutgers University

"Graphene, A Flatland of Ultra-Relativistic Particles"

Abstract:

Graphene, a one-atom thick layer of crystalline carbon possesses extraordinary electronic properties which make it a prime candidate for novel nano-electronic devices, at the same time raising the prospect to observe phenomena hitherto unseen in bench top experiments.  These unusual properties are due to charge-carriers that behave like ultra-relativistic particles, also known as massless Dirac fermions.  I will present scanning tunneling microscopy and transport experiments that provide access to these particles and give new insight into their motion, interactions with the host lattice and with each other.