The optical conductivity of graphene in the visible region of the spectrum

T. Stauber, N. M. R. Peres, A. K. Geim

Published 2008-03-12, updated 2008-08-27Version 3

We compute the optical conductivity of graphene beyond the usual Dirac cone approximation, giving results that are valid in the visible region of the conductivity spectrum. The effect of next nearest neighbor hoping is also discussed. Using the full expression for the optical conductivity, the transmission and reflection coefficients are given. We find that even in the optical regime the corrections to the Dirac cone approximation are surprisingly small (a few percent). Our results help in the interpretation of the experimental results reported by Nair {\it et al.} [Science {\bf 320}, 1308 (2008)].