Fractal Butterflies of Dirac Fermions in Monolayer and Bilayer graphene

Abstract

We present an overview of the theoretical understanding of Hofstadter butterflies in monolayer and bilayer graphene. After a brief introduction on the past work in conventional semiconductor systems, we discuss the novel electronic properties of monolayer and bilayer graphene that helped to detect experimentally the fractal nature of the energy spectrum. We have discussed the theoretical background on the Moiré pattern in graphene. This pattern was crucial in determining the butterfly structure. We have also touched upon the role of electron-electron interaction in the butterfly pattern in graphene. We conclude by discussing the future prospects of butterfly search, especially for interacting Dirac fermions.

arXiv commentInvited article for IET Circuits, Devices and Systems, special issue "Graphene Electronics"