Band flattening in buckled monolayer graphene

Abstract

The strain fields of periodically buckled graphene induce a periodic pseudo-magnetic field (PMF) that modifies the electronic band structure. From the geometry, amplitude, and period of the periodic pseudo-magnetic field, we determine the necessary conditions to access the regime of correlated phases by examining the band flattening. As compared to twisted bilayer graphene the proposed system has the advantages that: 1) only a single layer of graphene is needed, 2) one is not limited to hexagonal superlattices, and 3) narrower flat bandwidth and larger separation between flat bands can be induced. We, therefore, propose that periodically strained graphene single layers can become a platform for the exploration of exotic many-body phases.