Boris N. Narozhny

We explore the magnetohydrodynamics of Dirac fermions in neutral graphene in the Corbino geometry. Based on the fully consistent hydrodynamic description derived from a microscopic framework and taking into account all peculiarities of graphene-specific hydrodynamics, we report the results of a comprehensive study of the interplay of viscosity, disorder-induced scattering, recombination, energy relaxation, and interface-induced dissipation. In the clean limit, magnetoresistance of a Corbino sample is determined by viscosity. Hence the Corbino geometry could be used to measure the viscosity coefficient in neutral graphene.

In this paper I present a pedagogical derivation of continuity equations manifesting exact conservation laws in an interacting electronic system based on the nonequilibrium Keldysh technique. The purpose of this exercise is to lay the groundwork for extending the hydrodynamic approach to electronic transport to strongly correlated systems where the quasiparticle approximation and Boltzmann kinetic theory fail.

We explore hydrodynamics of Dirac fermions in neutral graphene in the Corbino geometry. In the absence of a magnetic field, the bulk Ohmic charge flow and the hydrodynamic energy flow are decoupled. However, the energy flow does affect the overall resistance of the system through viscous dissipation and energy relaxation that has to be compensated by the work done by the current source. Solving the hydrodynamic equations, we find that local temperature and electric potential are discontinuous at the interfaces with the leads as well as the device resistance and argue that this makes Corbino geometry a feasible choice for an experimental observation of the Dirac fluid.

The last few years have seen an explosion of interest in hydrodynamic effects in interacting electron systems in ultra-pure materials. One such material, graphene, is not only an excellent platform for the experimental realization of the hydrodynamic flow of electrons, but also allows for a controlled derivation of the hydrodynamic equations on the basis of kinetic theory. The resulting hydrodynamic theory of electronic transport in graphene yields quantitative predictions for experimentally relevant quantities, e.g., viscosity, electrical conductivity, etc. Here I review recent theoretical advances in the field, compare the hydrodynamic theory of charge carriers in graphene with relativistic hydrodynamics and recent experiments, and discuss applications of hydrodynamic approach to novel materials beyond graphene.

Hydrodynamic flow of charge carriers in graphene is an energy flow unlike the usual mass flow in conventional fluids. In neutral graphene, the energy flow is decoupled from the electric current, making it difficult to observe the hydrodynamic effects and measure the viscosity of the electronic fluid by means of electric current measurements. In particular, we show that the hallmark Poiseuille flow in a narrow channel cannot be driven by the electric field irrespective of boundary conditions at the channel edges. Nevertheless, one can observe nonuniform current densities similarly to the case of the well-known ballistic-diffusive crossover. The standard diffusive behavior with the uniform current density across the channel is achieved under the assumptions of specular scattering on the channel boundaries. This flow can also be made nonuniform by applying weak magnetic fields. In this case, the curvature of the current density profile is determined by the quasiparticle recombination processes dominated by the disorder-assisted electron-phonon scattering—the so-called supercollisions.

In nearly compensated graphene, disorder-assisted electron-phonon scattering or “supercollisions” are responsible for both quasiparticle recombination and energy relaxation. Within the hydrodynamic approach, these processes contribute weak decay terms to the continuity equations at local equilibrium, i.e., at the level of “ideal” hydrodynamics. Here we report the derivation of the decay term due to weak violation of energy conservation. Such terms have to be considered on equal footing with the well-known recombination terms due to nonconservation of the number of particles in each band. At high enough temperatures in the “hydrodynamic regime” supercollisions dominate both types of the decay terms (as compared to the leading-order electron-phonon interaction). We also discuss the contribution of supercollisions to the heat transfer equation (generalizing the continuity equation for the energy density in viscous hydrodynamics).

Collective behavior is one of the most intriguing aspects of the hydrodynamic approach to electronic transport. Here we provide a consistent, unified calculation of the dispersion relations of the hydrodynamic collective modes in graphene. Taking into account viscous effects, we show that the hydrodynamic sound mode in graphene becomes overdamped at sufficiently large momentum scales. Extending the linearized theory beyond the hydrodynamic regime, we connect the diffusive hydrodynamic charge density fluctuations with plasmons.

In compensated two-component systems in confined, two-dimensional geometries, nonlocal response may appear due to an external magnetic field. Within a phenomenological two-fluid framework, we demonstrate the evolution of charge flow profiles and the emergence of a giant nonlocal pattern dominating charge transport in a magnetic field. Applying our approach to the specific case of intrinsic graphene, we suggest a simple physical explanation for the experimental observation of giant nonlocality. Our results provide an intuitive way to predict the outcome of future experiments exploring the rich physics of many-body electron systems in confined geometries as well as to design possible applications.

In ultra-pure materials electrons may exhibit a collective motion similar to the hydrodynamic flow of a viscous fluid, the phenomenon with far reaching consequences in a wide range of many body systems from black holes to high-temperature superconductivity. Yet the definitive detection of this intriguing behavior remains elusive. Until recently, experimental techniques for observing hydrodynamic behavior in solids were based on measuring macroscopic transport properties, such as the ‘nonlocal’ (or ‘vicinity’) resistance, which may allow alternative interpretation. Earlier this year two breakthrough experiments demonstrated two distinct imaging techniques making it possible to ‘observe’ the electronic flow directly. We demonstrate that a hydrodynamic flow in a long Hall bar (in the absence of magnetic field) exhibits a nontrivial vortex structure accompanied by a sign-alternating nonlocal resistance. An experimental observation of such unique flow pattern could serve a definitive proof of electronic hydrodynamics.