Distinguishing viscous, ballistic, and diffusive current flows in anisotropic metals

Abstract

We show that in anisotropic Fermi liquids where momentum-conserving scattering is much faster than momentum-relaxing scattering processes, local imaging of the electric current flow patterns can cleanly distinguish between ballistic, viscous and ohmic flow patterns simultaneously (using a single image). We propose using multi-layer graphene-based heterostructures, including ABA trilayer graphene, as a natural experimental platform where an anisotropic ballistic-to-viscous crossover may be visible in near-term experiments. Such experiments could lead to more direct measurements of momentum-conserving scattering lengths in electronic Fermi liquids.