Modeling of electronic dynamics in twisted bilayer graphene

Abstract: We consider the problem of numerically computing the quantum dynamics of an electron in twisted bilayer graphene. The challenge is that atomic-scale models of the dynamics are aperiodic for generic twist angles because of the incommensurability of the layers. The Bistritzer-MacDonald PDE model, which is periodic with respect to the bilayer's moir\'e pattern, has recently been shown to rigorously describe these dynamics in a parameter regime. In this work, we first prove that the dynamics of the tight-binding model of incommensurate twisted bilayer graphene can be approximated by computations on finite domains. The main ingredient of this proof is a speed of propagation estimate proved using Combes-Thomas estimates. We then provide extensive numerical computations which clarify the range of validity of the Bistritzer-MacDonald model.