Mesoscopic Klein-Schwinger effect in graphene

Observations of the Schwinger effect-the creation of matter by electric fields-have been hindered by the high required field strength. A mesoscopic variant of the Schwinger effect has now been realized in graphene transistors. Strong electric field annihilation by particle-antiparticle pair creation, also known as the Schwinger effect, is a non-perturbative prediction of quantum electrodynamics. Its experimental demonstration remains elusive, as threshold electric fields are extremely strong and beyond current reach. Here, we propose a mesoscopic variant of the Schwinger effect in graphene, which hosts Dirac fermions with an approximate electron-hole symmetry. Using transport measurements, we report on universal one-dimensional Schwinger conductance at the pinchoff of ballistic graphene transistors. Strong pinchoff electric fields are concentrated within approximately 1 mu m of the transistor's drain and induce Schwinger electron-hole pair creation at saturation. This effect precedes a collective instability towards an ohmic Zener regime, which is rejected at twice the pinchoff voltage in long devices. These observations advance our understanding of current saturation limits in ballistic graphene and provide a direction for further quantum electrodynamic experiments in the laboratory.

Automated summary

Researchers have achieved a mesoscopic variant of the Schwinger effect in graphene transistors, which involves the creation of matter by electric fields. By conducting transport measurements, they observed universal one-dimensional Schwinger conductance at the pinch-off of the transistors. These findings enhance our understanding of current saturation limits in ballistic graphene and open up new directions for quantum electrodynamic experiments in the laboratory.