Optimal twist angle for a graphene-like bilayer

Abstract

The first optimal-or 'magic'-angle leading to the nullity of the Dirac/Fermi velocity for twisted bilayer graphene is re-evaluated in the Bistritzer-MacDonald set-up (Bistritzer and MacDonald 2011 Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. 108 12233-7). From the details of that calculation we study the resulting alterations when the properties of the two layers are not exactly the same. A moire combination of lattices without relative rotation but with different spacing lengths may also lead to a vanishing Dirac velocity. Hopping amplitudes can vary as well, and curvature is one of the possible causes for their change. In the case of small curvature values and situations dominated by hopping energy scales, the optimal angle becomes wider than in the 'flat' case.