We argue that spin- and valley-polarized metallic phases recently observed in graphene bilayers and trilayers support chiral edge modes that allow spin waves to propagate ballistically along system boundaries without… Click to show full abstract
We argue that spin- and valley-polarized metallic phases recently observed in graphene bilayers and trilayers support chiral edge modes that allow spin waves to propagate ballistically along system boundaries without backscattering. The chiral edge behavior originates from the interplay between the momentum-space Berry curvature in Dirac bands and the geometric phase of a spin texture in position space. The edge modes are weakly confined to the edge, featuring dispersion that is robust and insensitive to the detailed profile of magnetization at the edge. This unique character of edge modes reduces their overlap with edge disorder and enhances the mode lifetime. The mode propagation direction reverses upon reversing valley polarization, an effect that provides a clear testable signature of geometric interactions in isospin-polarized Dirac bands.
               
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