Potential-driven eddy current in rippled graphene nanoribbons

Abstract

It is well known that an eddy current will be induced in a conductor subject to a varying magnetic field. Here we propose another mechanism of generating nano-scale eddy current in rippled graphene nanoribbons(GNRs), which is only driven by an electric potential. In particular, it is found that under appropriate gate voltages, a local deformation may induce some unexpected global eddy currents, which form vortices in both rippled and entire flat areas of the GNR. We will explain that these vortices in flat areas is a manifestation of the nonlocality of quantum interference.