Asymmetric gaps of tetralayer graphene unveiled by thermodynamic characterization

Abstract Tetralayer graphene has shown several interesting properties such as tunable Lifshitz transitions, helical edge states, and high-temperature anomalous Hall effects. The band structure, which directly relates to these phenomena, has so far been predominantly determined by fitting Landau-level spectra. Here, by characterizing the electronic capacitance, we reveal unprecedented details of its band structure: the energy shift between the heavy- and light-mass band edges in the conduction band is much larger than that in the valence band. Their responses to displacement fields are also distinct: while the former increases monotonically and significantly, the latter first decreases and then increases slightly. Our results suggest that the interlayer interactions and hopping parameters are more complex than previously expected, calling for precise measurements of band structures in various multilayer van der Waals systems.