Quasiparticle scattering and local density of states in graphite

Cristina Bena, Steven A. Kivelson

Published 2004-08-13Version 1

We determine the effect of quasiparticle interference on the spatial variations of the local density of states (LDOS) in graphite in the neighborhood of an isolated impurity. A number of characteristic behaviors of interference are identified in the Fourier transformed spectrum. A comparison between our results and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) experiments could provide a critical test of the range (of energy) of applicability of the Fermi liquid description of graphite, where some evidence of the breakdown of Fermi liquid theory has recently been discussed. Moreover, given the similarity between the band structures of graphite and that of nodal quasiparticles in a d-wave superconductor, a comparison between results in the two materials is useful for understanding the physics of the cuprates.