Expérimental
Conducting electrons screen defects by forming an oscillation of local density of states around them. This effect known as quasiparticle interferences (QPI) can be observed in the real space with the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) and is precious to determine the Fermi surface of materials which can be reconstructed from their Fourier transform. We have recently shown that graphene’s Berry phase can also be measured from the QPI signal [1,2]. This opens new possibilities to use quasiparticle interference to determine the topological properties of materials, which are difficult to measure by other means. The present research project aims at developing the technique and apply it to new graphene based materials like twisted bilayer graphene, superconducting graphene (induced by proximity), Rhombohedral graphene etc. The success will rely on the mastering of creating defects at the surface of graphene either by ion bombardment or hydrogen functionalization. We are looking for a motivated Phd candidate with a strong background in condensed matter physics interested in low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy. The candidate will be involved in the project from sample preparation to the STM measurements and participate to a long term collaboration with Madrid University. The experimental work will be backed by theoretical input from the University of Bordeaux and Cergy Pontoise. [1] C. Dutreix et al. Nature 574, 219 (2019) [2] Y. Guan et al. ArXiv:2307.10024 (2023)