2D electron systems: graphene and its relatives

Since its first scotch tape extraction from graphite in 2004 Graphene a one atom thick crystal of carbon has metamorphosed from the poor relative of diamond into a wonder material By now it has amassed an impressive string of superlatives lightest thinnest strongest material best electrical and thermal conductor and a host of close 2D relatives extracted from other layered materials Today 2D materials are rapidly moving from research laboratories into industrial medical and electronics applications For physicists much of the continuing excitement about graphene stems from its exotic charge carriers Dirac fermions which resemble two dimensional massless neutrinos I will review the story and physics of graphene and its fascinating electronic properties as viewed through scanning tunneling microscopy and Landau level spectroscopy experiments performed in my group Refreshments are served at 3:20pm