Multiple excitation of confined graphene plasmons by single free electrons

Abstract

We show that free electrons can efficiently excite plasmons in doped graphene with probabilities in the order of one per electron. More precisely, we predict multiple excitations of a single confined plasmon mode in graphene nanostructures. These unprecedentedly large electron-plasmon couplings are explained using a simple scaling law and further investigated through a general quantum description of the electron-plasmon interaction. From a fundamental viewpoint, multiple plasmon excitations by a single electron provide a unique platform for exploring the bosonic quantum nature of these collective modes. Not only does our study open a viable path toward multiple excitation of a single plasmon mode by a single electron, but it also reveals electron probes as ideal tools for producing, detecting, and manipulating plasmons in graphene nanostructures.