Local density of states and scanning tunneling currents in graphene

We present exact analytical calculations of scanning tunneling currents in locally disordered graphene using a multimode description of the microscope tip. Analytical expressions for the local density of states (LDOS) are given for energies beyond the Dirac cone approximation. We show that the LDOS at the A and B sublattices of graphene are out of phase by π implying that the averaged LDOS, as one moves away from the impurity, shows no trace of the 2qF (with qF the Fermi momentum) Friedel modulation. This means that a scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) experiment lacking atomic resolution at the sublattice level will not be able to detect the presence of the Friedel oscillations (this seems to be the case in the experiments reported in Brihuega et al 2008 Phys. Rev. Lett. 101 206802). The momentum maps of the LDOS for different types of impurities are given. In the case of the vacancy, 2qF features are seen in these maps. In all momentum space maps, K and K+K' features are seen. The K+K' features are different from what is seen around zero momentum. An interpretation for these features is given. The calculations reported here are valid for chemical substitution impurities, such as boron and nitrogen atoms, as well as for vacancies. It is shown that the density of states close to the impurity is very sensitive to the type of disorder: diagonal, non-diagonal, or vacancies. In the case of weakly coupled (to the carbon atoms) impurities, the LDOS presents strong resonances at finite energies, which leads to steps in the scanning tunneling currents and to suppression of the Fano factor.