Multilayer graphenes with mixed stacking structure: interplay of Bernal and rhombohedral stacking

Abstract: We study the electronic structure of multilayer graphenes with a mixture of Bernal and rhombohedral stacking and propose a general scheme to understand the electronic band structure of an arbitrary configuration. The system can be viewed as a series of finite Bernal graphite sections connected by stacking faults. We find that the low-energy eigenstates are mostly localized in each Bernal section, and, thus, the whole spectrum is well approximated by a collection of the spectra of independent sections. The energy spectrum is categorized into linear, quadratic and cubic bands corresponding to specific eigenstates of Bernal sections. The ensemble-averaged spectrum exhibits a number of characteristic discrete structures originating from finite Bernal sections or their combinations likely to appear in a random configuration. In the low-energy region, in particular, the spectrum is dominated by frequently-appearing linear bands and quadratic bands with special band velocities or curvatures. In the higher energy region, band edges frequently appear at some particular energies, giving optical absorption edges at corresponding characteristic photon frequencies.