Tuning Kondo physics in graphene with gate voltage

We show theoretically that graphene, which exhibits a massless Dirac-like spectrum for its electrons, can exhibit unconventional Kondo effect that can be tuned by an experimentally controllable applied gate voltage. We demonstrate the presence of a finite critical Kondo coupling strength in neutral graphene. We discuss the possibility of multichannel Kondo effect in this system which might lead to a non-Fermi liquidlike ground state and provide a discussion of possible experimental realization of Kondo phenomenon in graphene.

Figure 1

(Color online) Sketch of the critical Kondo coupling $J_c(q,T)$ as a function of temperature for several applied voltages $q=eV∕\Lambda$. The Kondo phase exists for $J>J_c$.