Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: The effect of spin-orbit coupling (SOC) in monolayer graphene has been thoroughly studied in the past. Its impact is commonly disregarded since the electronic structure of graphene is almost unaffected. Consequently, SOC has also been ignored in other graphitic systems. In this work, we calculate the intrinsic SOC in stacks of graphene layers from a model that includes all the valence orbitals of carbon as well as the intra-atomic SOC.The leading spin-orbit term in a graphene multilayer combines a Rashba-like spin-flip process with interlayer hopping. We find that this intrinsic term modifies the phase diagram and Fermi surfaces of finite rhombohedral stacks, and it leads to a distinct density-dependence of the magnetization in weak magnetic fields. This Letter shows that, unlike in the single-layer case, SOC has important consequences in multilayer graphitic systems and it should not be neglected when studying their physical properties.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Language: English
Subfield: Materials Chemistry
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Awards: G1105844351, G1446647517, G1498043395, G2126327880, G2838401535, G318412399, G3428307696, G4033406476, G4212894969, G4717959651, G491712853, G4993905653, G5635532810, G5943232429, G6520718613, G7150977779, TRR 183: Verschränkte Materiezustände, G7395345766, G7805626310, G7863371703, G8206427563, G8380959433, G8398463448, G8497050386, G8667377315, G9000385933, G9000848305
OpenAlex ID: W7220650366