Generation and Propagation of Ultrasonic Waves in Piezoelectric Graphene Nanoribbon

Musah Rabiu, Samuel Y. Mensah, Sulemana S. Abukari, Matthew Amekpewu, Baah Sefa-Ntiri, Anthony Twum

University for Development Studies, Faculty of Applied Science, Department of Applied Physics, Navrongo, Ghana.
University of Cape Coast, Center for Laser and Fiber Optics, Physics Department, Cape Coast, Ghana.

DOI: 10.4236/oja.2013.33A007                

Abstract

Generation and propagation of ultrasonic waves in single layer Graphene Nanoribbon is studied using semi-classical approach. When piezoelectric Graphene Nanoribbon (GNR) is exposed to time varying light beam, ultrasonic waves are produced which propagate in the medium. At low frequencies, we observed oscillations of the ultrasonic observables, velocity change and attenuation which are characteristics of massless Dirac fermions in graphene. Exploiting this oscillatory behavior, we estimate graphene’s electronic mobility to be around . Propagating ultrasonic waves can be amplified, depending on the electric field amplitude. Specifically, amplification occurs when drift velocity exceeds sound velocity. This scheme can be employed for efficient ultrasonic amplifier device operation.

Keywords

Current Density; Negative Differential Conductivity; Commensurable Frequencies

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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