Graphene bilayer and trilayer Moiré lattice with Rashba spin-orbit coupling

Abstract

We consider twisted bilayer and trilayer graphene in the presence of Rashba spin-orbit coupling and explore the physics of Moiré spintronics. The electronic charge density has a sharp step right at the magic angles ${\theta }_m$. As a result, local spin observables (polarization and equilibrium spin currents) have sharp peaks (of width about a small fraction of 1${}^{\circ }$) as a function of the twist angle $\theta$, and abrupt sign reversals at ${\theta }_m$. Thereby, the magic angle can be determined in an unprecedented accuracy. In the first chiral limit, the spin currents vanish, but the peculiar pattern of the polarization at ${\theta }_m$ persists. Major differences result in spintronics of twisted bilayer graphene at magic angles as compared with the spintronics of single and/or {\it un-twisted} bilayer graphene. Thus, in addition to the numerous spectacular physical phenomena already reported in twisted bilayer graphene at magic angles, new phenomena also occur in twistronic spintronics.

5 pages, references added, few corrections inserted

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Cited by in corpus (2)

• Atomistic theory of moiré Hofstadter's butterfly in magic-angle graphene
• Rashba spin splitting based on trilayer graphene systems