Zigzag nanoribbons in external electric fields

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Korotyaev, Evgeny L. | Kutsenko, Anton

Affiliations: School of Mathematics, Cardiff University, Senghennydd Road, CF24 4AG Cardiff, Wales, UK. E-mail: KorotyaevE@cf.ac.uk | Department of Mathematics, Sankt-Petersburg State University, Sankt Petersburg, Russia. E-mail: kucenkoa@rambler.ru

Abstract: We consider the Schrödinger operator on nanoribbons (tight-binding models) in an external electric potential V on the plane. The corresponding electric field is perpendicular to the axis of the nanoribbon. If V=0, then the spectrum of the Schrödinger operator consists of two non-flat bands and one flat band (an eigenvalue with infinite multiplicity) between them. If we switch on a weak electric potential V→0, then there are two cases: (1) this eigenvalue splits into the small spectral band. We determine the asymptotics of the spectral bands for small fields. (2) the unperturbed eigenvalue remains the flat band. We describe all potentials when the unperturbed eigenvalue remains the flat band and when one splits into the small band of the continuous spectrum.

Keywords: nanoribbon, spectral band, Schrödinger operator, external electric field

DOI: 10.3233/ASY-2009-0966

Journal: Asymptotic Analysis, vol. 66, no. 3-4, pp. 187-206, 2010