Waveguiding in massive two-dimensional Dirac systems

Abstract

The study of waveguide propagating modes is essential for achieving directional electronic transport in two-dimensional materials. Simultaneously, exploring potential gaps in these systems is crucial for developing devices akin to those employed in conventional electronics. Building upon the theoretical groundwork laid by Hartmann and Portnoi [Phys. Rev. A 89, 012101 (2014)], which focused on implementing waveguides in pristine graphene monolayers, this work delves into the impact of a waveguide on two-dimensional gapped Dirac systems. We derive exact solutions encompassing wave functions and energy-bound states for secant-hyperbolic attractive potential in gapped graphene, with a gap generated by sublattice asymmetry or Kekulé-distortion. These solutions leverage the inherent properties and boundary conditions of the Heun polynomials. Our findings demonstrate that the manipulation of the number of accessible energy-bound states, i.e., transverse propagating modes, relies on factors, such as the width and depth of the potential as well as the gap value of the two-dimensional material.