Quantum soap bubbles in graphene

Controlling the flow of electrons through tiny devices, such as computer chips and solar cells, is a central goal of science and engineering. Modern advances use nanomaterials such as graphene—a two-dimensional (2D) carbon sheet that is only a single atom thick—as an emerging platform to study exotic quantum phenomena and engineer a new generation of atomically thin electronics. To observe and control these phenomena, experiments in this field exploit the use of spatially modulated potentials to manipulate electronic flow through graphene layers. 

In the proposed research, we explore the question: can we create quantum soap bubbles—smooth electronic potentials with artificially tailored disorder—that result in exotic flow states for electrons in graphene? The key result will be the realization of a long-held dream of scientists: the ability to experimentally generate smooth potentials for electrons based on mathematical functions, as they are described in theory. The key impact will be a deeper fundamental understanding of how electrons flow through atomically thin materials, which may provide a new platform for advanced neural networks and quantum information processing.