Dynamic Carrier Modulation via Nonlinear Acoustoelectric Transport in van der Waals Heterostructures

Dynamically manipulating carriers in van der Waals heterostructures could enable solid-state quantum simulators with tunable lattice parameters. A key requirement is forming deep potential wells to reliably trap excitations. Here, we report the observation of nonlinear acoustoelectric transport and dynamic carrier modulation in boron nitride-encapsulated graphene devices coupled to intense surface acoustic waves (SAWs) on LiNbO3 substrates. SAWs generate strong acoustoelectric current densities (JAE), transitioning from linear to nonlinear regimes with increasing SAW intensity. In the nonlinear regime, periodic carrier (electrons, holes, or their mixtures) stripes emerge. Using counter-propagating SAWs, we create standing SAWs (SSAWs) to dynamically manipulate charge distributions without static gates. The saturation of JAE, attenuation transitions, and tunable resistance peaks confirm strong carrier localization. These results establish SAWs as a powerful tool for controlling carrier dynamics in two-dimensional (2D) materials, paving the way for the development of time-dependent quantum systems and acoustic lattices for quantum simulation.