Download file (2.13 MB)
Download as zip (1.79 MB)

Collection

Citation

Description:

Strong electric field annihilation by particle-antiparticle pair creation, described in detail by Sauter and Schwinger, is a basic non-perturbative prediction of quantum electrodynamics. Its experimental demonstration remains elusive as Schwinger fields ES are beyond reach even for the light electron-positron pairs. Here we put forward a mesoscopic variant of the Schwinger effect in graphene, which hosts Dirac fermions with electron-hole symmetry. Using DC transport and RF noise, we report on univer- sal 1d-Schwinger conductance at the pinch-off of ballistic graphene transistors. Strong pinch-off electric fields are concentrated in a length Λ >∼ 0.1 μm at the transistor drain, and induce Schwinger e-h pair creation at saturation, for a Schwinger voltage VS = ES Λ on the order of the pinch-off voltage. This Klein-Schwinger effect (KSE) precedes an instability toward an ohmic Zener regime, which is rejected at twice the pinch-off voltage in long devices. The KSE not only gives clues to current saturation limits in ballistic graphene, but also opens new routes for quantum electrodynamic experiments in the laboratory.

Rights:

• Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 International
  

Keyword: Schwinger effect, graphene, Dirac fermions

Date published: 2023-03-09

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Journal:

• Nature Physics (ISSN: 17452481) vol. 19 issue. 6 p. 830-835

Funding:

Manuscript type: Publisher's version (Version of record)

MDR DOI:

First published URL: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-023-01978-9

Related item:

Other identifier(s):

Contact agent:

Updated at: 2025-02-23 22:48:23 +0900

Published on MDR: 2025-02-23 22:48:23 +0900