Controlled light energy and perfect absorption in twisted bilayer graphene

Abstract

We theoretically study the components of the dynamical optical conductivity tensor and associated finite-frequency dielectric response of bilayer graphene (BLG), where one graphene layer can slide in-plane or commensurably twist on top of the other. Our results reveal that even slight deviations from the conventional AA, AB, or AC stacking orders yield a finite transverse conductivity. Upon calculating the optical conductivity of the BLG at any arbitrary interlayer displacement, Δ, and chemical potential, µ, it is utilized for a layered device with an epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) insert and metallic back plate. We find that both Δ and µ can effectively control the polarization, energy flow direction, and absorptivity of linearly polarized incident light. By appropriately tailoring Δ and µ, near-perfect absorption and tunable dissipation can be accessible through particular angles of incidence and a broad range of ENZ layer thicknesses. Our findings can be applied to the design of programmable optoelectronics devices.