Electron delocalization in bilayer graphene induced by an electric field

Mikito Koshino

Published 2008-02-04, updated 2009-01-16Version 2

Electronic localization is numerically studied in disordered bilayer graphene with an electric-field induced energy gap. Bilayer graphene is a zero-gap semiconductor, in which an energy gap can be opened and controlled by an external electric field perpendicular to the layer plane. We found that, in the smooth disorder potential not mixing the states in different valleys (K and K' points), the gap opening causes a phase transition at which the electronic localization length diverges. We show that this can be interpreted as the integer quantum Hall transition at each single valley, even though the magnetic field is absent.