Multi-mode behavior of electron Zitterbewegung induced by an electromagnetic wave in graphene

Abstract

Electrons in monolayer graphene in the presence of an electromagnetic (or electric) wave are considered theoretically. It is shown that the electron motion is a nonlinear combination of Zitterbewegung (ZB, trembling motion) resulting from the periodic potential of graphene lattice and the driving field of the wave. This complex motion is called "Multi-mode Zitterbewegung". The theory is based on the time-dependent two-band Hamiltonian taking into account the graphene band structure and interaction with the wave. Our theoretical treatment includes the rotating wave approximation and high-driving-frequency approximation for narrow wave packets, as well as numerical calculations for packets of arbitrary widths. Different regimes of electron motion are found, depending on relation between the ZB frequency ${\omega }_Z$ and the driving frequency ${\omega }_D$ for different strengths of the electron-wave interaction. Frequencies and intensities of the resulting oscillation modes are calculated. The nonlinearity of the problem results in a pronounced multi-mode behavior. Polarization of the medium is also calculated relating our theoretical results to observable quantities. The presence of driving wave, resulting in frequencies directly related to ${\omega }_Z$ and increasing the decay time of oscillations, should facilitate observations of the Zitterbewegung phenomenon.

15 pages, 17 figures

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