PIRSA:16040067

Electron viscosity, current vortices and negative nonlocal resistance in graphene

Falkovich, G. (2016). Electron viscosity, current vortices and negative nonlocal resistance in graphene. Perimeter Institute. https://pirsa.org/16040067

Falkovich, Gregory. Electron viscosity, current vortices and negative nonlocal resistance in graphene. Perimeter Institute, Apr. 26, 2016, https://pirsa.org/16040067 

          @misc{ pirsa_PIRSA:16040067,
            doi = {10.48660/16040067},
            url = {https://pirsa.org/16040067},
            author = {Falkovich, Gregory},
            keywords = {Condensed Matter},
            language = {en},
            title = {Electron viscosity, current vortices and negative nonlocal resistance in graphene},
            publisher = {Perimeter Institute},
            year = {2016},
            month = {apr},
            note = {PIRSA:16040067 see, \url{https://pirsa.org}}
          }

Gregory Falkovich Weizmann Institute of Science

DOI 10.48660/16040067
Collection
Talk Type Scientific Series
Subject

Abstract

Quantum-critical strongly correlated electron systems are predicted to feature universal collision-dominated transport resembling that of viscous fluids. Investigation of these phenomena has been hampered by the lack of known macroscopic signatures of electron viscosity. Here we identify vorticity as such a signature and link it with a readily verifiable striking macroscopic DC transport behavior. Produced by the viscous flow, vorticity can drive electric current against an applied field, resulting in a negative nonlocal voltage. The latter may play the same role for the viscous regime as zero electrical resistance does for superconductivity. Besides offering a diagnostic which distinguishes viscous transport from ohmic currents, the sign-changing electrical response affords a robust tool for directly measuring the viscosity-to-resistivity ratio. Strongly interacting electron-hole plasma in high-mobility graphene affords a unique link between quantum-critical electron transport and the wealth of fluid mechanics phenomena.

Levitov and Falkovich, Nature Physics, 22 Feb 2016