• 文献标题:   Mesoscopic Klein-Schwinger effect in graphene
  • 文献类型:   Article, Early Access
  • 作  者:   SCHMITT A, VALLET P, MELE D, ROSTICHER M, TANIGUCHI T, WATANABE K, BOCQUILLON E, FEVE G, BERROIR JM, VOISIN C, CAYSSOL J, GOERBIG MO, TROOST J, BAUDIN E, PLACAIS B
  • 作者关键词:  
  • 出版物名称:   NATURE PHYSICS
  • ISSN:   1745-2473 EI 1745-2481
  • 通讯作者地址:  
  • 被引频次:   3
  • DOI:   10.1038/s41567-023-01978-9 EA MAR 2023
  • 出版年:   2023

▎ 摘  要

Observations of the Schwinger effect-the creation of matter by electric fields-have been hindered by the high required field strength. A mesoscopic variant of the Schwinger effect has now been realized in graphene transistors. Strong electric field annihilation by particle-antiparticle pair creation, also known as the Schwinger effect, is a non-perturbative prediction of quantum electrodynamics. Its experimental demonstration remains elusive, as threshold electric fields are extremely strong and beyond current reach. Here, we propose a mesoscopic variant of the Schwinger effect in graphene, which hosts Dirac fermions with an approximate electron-hole symmetry. Using transport measurements, we report on universal one-dimensional Schwinger conductance at the pinchoff of ballistic graphene transistors. Strong pinchoff electric fields are concentrated within approximately 1 mu m of the transistor's drain and induce Schwinger electron-hole pair creation at saturation. This effect precedes a collective instability towards an ohmic Zener regime, which is rejected at twice the pinchoff voltage in long devices. These observations advance our understanding of current saturation limits in ballistic graphene and provide a direction for further quantum electrodynamic experiments in the laboratory.