Quantum transport of electrons in emerging van der Waals devices

Two-dimensional (2D) materials are at the forefront of research in quantum phenomena in condensed matter, with many research groups worldwide currently exploring their fundamental properties and applications. A large number of different types of 2D materials exist and each offer a wide variety of different properties. These monolayers can be stacked to create van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures that are designed with specific "built-in" device functionality. The properties of these stacks depend critically on their layer configuration and can be dramatically modified by controlling the relative "twist" angle between the lattices of the layers.
In this project, the student will develop models to understand and predict new quantum transport phenomena of electron moving between and within the layers of novel vdW heterostructures. They will investigate different layer configurations of graphene with the 2D post transition metal chalcogenides (a class of 2D semiconductors with excellent electronic properties) and consider the effect of "twist" angle and magnetic fields.