Resonant longitudinal Zitterbewegung in zigzag graphene nanoribbons

The Zitterbewegung of a wave packet in a zigzag graphene nanoribbon is theoretically investigated. The coupling between edge states and bulk states results in intriguing properties. Apart from the oscillation in position perpendicular to the direction of motion, we also observe an oscillation along the direction of propagation which is not present in semiconductor nanowires or infinite graphene sheets. We also observe a resonance of its amplitude with respect to the central momentum of the wave packet. We show here that this longitudinal Zitterbewegung is caused by the interplay between bulk and edge states, which is a unique property of a zigzag nanoribbon.