Wave packets in graphene under external fields: Vortices formation

In this work we analyzed the time propagation of wave packets on a sheet of graphene under the action of external magnetic and electric fields in the Hall configuration. The treatment given in this work to the problem of particle propagation in graphene is based on the tight-binding model, not requiring to consider the linear approximation of the band structure around point K in the Brillouin zone. So, our calculation is able to describe the behavior of the particle in more general cases, not only the case of low lying excited states, the so-called massless Dirac electrons. Evaluating the time evolution of the wave function we assume as an initial state a Gaussian with a given velocity. We have considered the symmetric gauge for the vector potential. For specific cases one is able to show a very interesting effect such as the apparition of vortices, i.e., the initial wave is split into components each one of these forming vortices that remain stationaries as time goes. Moreover, for a packet with a wave vector near point K in the Brillouin zone, one is able to show the presence of the effect of zitterbewegung, that is, a trembling motion of the centroid of the wave packet. The inclusion of a dc electric field in the plane of the graphene lattice displaces the vortices in a direction perpendicular to the field.