Electronic correlations in functionalized graphene on SiC

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Tim Wehling
• Subject Area: Theoretical Condensed Matter Physics
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 449119662

Graphene is an all-surface material. Its low-energy electrons can be tuned from massless Dirac fermions to flat band behavior upon strong charge doping. Here, we intend to explore how this uniquely controllable electronic system can be utilized to establish functionalized graphene on SiC as platform to realize and to control electronic correlation phenomena. We will combine computational first principles and many-body approaches to understand the emerging electronic structure, when Mott insulating and superconducting surface systems as well as heavily charge doping layers are brought in direct proximity to graphene. Overarching questions will be which kind of electronic correlation effects arise in the aforementioned hybrid interface systems and how these systems respond to tuning knobs like charge doping, stacking, and generically atomic scale manipulations of the interface. In close collaboration with the other projects from the research unit FOR 5242, we will focus on Mott insulating surfaces, particularly triangular group IV adatom arrays on SiC(0001) in contact with monolayer graphene, superconducting Pb multilayers as well as FeSe on SiC(0001) covered by monolayer graphene, and finally graphene on SiC(0001), which is heavily charge doped e.g. by rare-earth species.

• DFG Programme: Research Units
• Subproject of: FOR 5242: Proximity-induced correlation effects in low dimensional systems