Symmetry-Dependent Dielectric Screening of Optical Phonons in Monolayer Graphene

Quantized lattice vibrations (i.e., phonons) in solids are robust and unambiguous fingerprints of crystal structures and of their symmetry properties. In metals and semimetals, strong electron-phonon coupling may lead to so-called Kohn anomalies in the phonon dispersion, providing an image of the Fe...

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Main Authors: Loïc Moczko, Sven Reichardt, Aditya Singh, Xin Zhang, Elise Jouaiti, Luis E. Parra López, Joanna L. P. Wolff, Aditi Raman Moghe, Etienne Lorchat, Rajendra Singh, Kenji Watanabe, Takashi Taniguchi, Hicham Majjad, Michelangelo Romeo, Arnaud Gloppe, Ludger Wirtz, Stéphane Berciaud
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: American Physical Society 2025-05-01
Series:Physical Review X
Online Access:http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevX.15.021043
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author Loïc Moczko
Sven Reichardt
Aditya Singh
Xin Zhang
Elise Jouaiti
Luis E. Parra López
Joanna L. P. Wolff
Aditi Raman Moghe
Etienne Lorchat
Rajendra Singh
Kenji Watanabe
Takashi Taniguchi
Hicham Majjad
Michelangelo Romeo
Arnaud Gloppe
Ludger Wirtz
Stéphane Berciaud
author_facet Loïc Moczko
Sven Reichardt
Aditya Singh
Xin Zhang
Elise Jouaiti
Luis E. Parra López
Joanna L. P. Wolff
Aditi Raman Moghe
Etienne Lorchat
Rajendra Singh
Kenji Watanabe
Takashi Taniguchi
Hicham Majjad
Michelangelo Romeo
Arnaud Gloppe
Ludger Wirtz
Stéphane Berciaud
author_sort Loïc Moczko
collection DOAJ
description Quantized lattice vibrations (i.e., phonons) in solids are robust and unambiguous fingerprints of crystal structures and of their symmetry properties. In metals and semimetals, strong electron-phonon coupling may lead to so-called Kohn anomalies in the phonon dispersion, providing an image of the Fermi surface in a nonelectronic observable. Kohn anomalies become prominent in low-dimensional systems, in particular, in graphene, where they appear as sharp kinks in the in-plane optical phonon branches. However, in spite of intense research efforts on electron-phonon coupling in graphene and related van der Waals heterostructures, little is known regarding the links between the symmetry properties of optical phonons at and near Kohn anomalies and their sensitivity towards the local environment. Here, using inelastic light scattering (Raman) spectroscopy, we investigate a set of custom-designed graphene-based van der Waals heterostructures, wherein dielectric screening is finely controlled at the atomic-layer level. We demonstrate experimentally and explain theoretically that, depending exclusively on their symmetry properties, the two main Raman lines of graphene react differently to the surrounding environment. While the 2D line, which is due to near-zone-edge optical phonons, undergoes changes due to the neighboring dielectric environment, the in-plane, zone-center optical phonons are symmetry protected from the influence of the latter. These results shed new light on the unique electron-phonon coupling properties in graphene and related systems and provide invaluable guidelines to characterize dielectric screening in van der Waals heterostructures and moiré superlattices.
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spelling doaj-art-5d4bdab2fd9b4360b6fcdb9d285ae0022025-08-20T03:48:47ZengAmerican Physical SocietyPhysical Review X2160-33082025-05-0115202104310.1103/PhysRevX.15.021043Symmetry-Dependent Dielectric Screening of Optical Phonons in Monolayer GrapheneLoïc MoczkoSven ReichardtAditya SinghXin ZhangElise JouaitiLuis E. Parra LópezJoanna L. P. WolffAditi Raman MogheEtienne LorchatRajendra SinghKenji WatanabeTakashi TaniguchiHicham MajjadMichelangelo RomeoArnaud GloppeLudger WirtzStéphane BerciaudQuantized lattice vibrations (i.e., phonons) in solids are robust and unambiguous fingerprints of crystal structures and of their symmetry properties. In metals and semimetals, strong electron-phonon coupling may lead to so-called Kohn anomalies in the phonon dispersion, providing an image of the Fermi surface in a nonelectronic observable. Kohn anomalies become prominent in low-dimensional systems, in particular, in graphene, where they appear as sharp kinks in the in-plane optical phonon branches. However, in spite of intense research efforts on electron-phonon coupling in graphene and related van der Waals heterostructures, little is known regarding the links between the symmetry properties of optical phonons at and near Kohn anomalies and their sensitivity towards the local environment. Here, using inelastic light scattering (Raman) spectroscopy, we investigate a set of custom-designed graphene-based van der Waals heterostructures, wherein dielectric screening is finely controlled at the atomic-layer level. We demonstrate experimentally and explain theoretically that, depending exclusively on their symmetry properties, the two main Raman lines of graphene react differently to the surrounding environment. While the 2D line, which is due to near-zone-edge optical phonons, undergoes changes due to the neighboring dielectric environment, the in-plane, zone-center optical phonons are symmetry protected from the influence of the latter. These results shed new light on the unique electron-phonon coupling properties in graphene and related systems and provide invaluable guidelines to characterize dielectric screening in van der Waals heterostructures and moiré superlattices.http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevX.15.021043
spellingShingle Loïc Moczko
Sven Reichardt
Aditya Singh
Xin Zhang
Elise Jouaiti
Luis E. Parra López
Joanna L. P. Wolff
Aditi Raman Moghe
Etienne Lorchat
Rajendra Singh
Kenji Watanabe
Takashi Taniguchi
Hicham Majjad
Michelangelo Romeo
Arnaud Gloppe
Ludger Wirtz
Stéphane Berciaud
Symmetry-Dependent Dielectric Screening of Optical Phonons in Monolayer Graphene
Physical Review X
title Symmetry-Dependent Dielectric Screening of Optical Phonons in Monolayer Graphene
title_full Symmetry-Dependent Dielectric Screening of Optical Phonons in Monolayer Graphene
title_fullStr Symmetry-Dependent Dielectric Screening of Optical Phonons in Monolayer Graphene
title_full_unstemmed Symmetry-Dependent Dielectric Screening of Optical Phonons in Monolayer Graphene
title_short Symmetry-Dependent Dielectric Screening of Optical Phonons in Monolayer Graphene
title_sort symmetry dependent dielectric screening of optical phonons in monolayer graphene
url http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevX.15.021043
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