The coupled dynamics of electrons and optical phonons in graphene is investigated. For this purpose, a kinetic model based on space-dependent Boltzmann transport equations for electrons and optical phonons is established. This system is solved by deterministic methods that provide efficiently accurate results by dynamically treating nonequilibrium phenomena. The numerical simulations clearly show the importance of this approach when calculating $I$–$V$ characteristics over a reasonable voltage range. Optical phonon occupations surpassing equilibrium values by factors of thousands were found which affect the charge carrier transport considerably in graphene.

• Received 12 February 2010

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.84.045406