Electronic sound modes and plasmons in hydrodynamic two-dimensional metals

Abstract

Using an analytically tractable kinetic model of a two dimensional Fermi liquid of electrons, we characterize the crossovers between zero sound, first sound and plasmons. For experimentally realized Fermi liquids in a hydrodynamic limit, both zero and first sound waves are essentially replaced by plasmons. The plasmon dispersion relation is robust against hydrodynamic effects, up to acquiring the viscous-limited decay rate of a first sound wave in the hydrodynamic limit. We discuss implications for experiments in clean two dimensional electron gases.

14 pages. v2: published version