Determining spin-orbit coupling in graphene by quasiparticle interference imaging.

ABSTRACT: Inducing and controlling spin-orbit coupling (SOC) in graphene is key to create topological states of matter, and for the realization of spintronic devices. Placing graphene onto a transition metal dichalcogenide is currently the most successful strategy to achieve this goal, but there is no consensus as to the nature and the magnitude of the induced SOC. Here, we show that the presence of backscattering in graphene-on-WSe₂ heterostructures can be used to probe SOC and to determine its strength quantitatively, by imaging quasiparticle interference with a scanning tunneling microscope. A detailed theoretical analysis of the Fourier transform of quasiparticle interference images reveals that the induced SOC consists of a valley-Zeeman (λ_vZ ≈ 2 meV) and a Rashba (λ_R

SUBMITTER: Sun L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10290717 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature