Studying the effects of strain in graphene using a MEMS device and electronic transport measurements at low temperatures

Different theoretical studies have motivated experiments on strained graphene, predicting exotic behaviors such as superconductivity or the induction of gauge fields that act effectively as large magnetic fields. Up to now the study of strain in graphene has been limited to the use of substrates where wrinkles or bubbles create strain or to the use of flexible substrates that create strain when they are bent. Here we present preliminary electronic transport experiments at low temperatures on a suspended graphene where strain is applied through a sophisticated micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS). We observe features in the magnetoresistance that change as strain is imposed to the sample, possibly showing the effects of the superposition of a magnetic field and a time reversal symmetric pseudo-magnetic field.