Many-body effects in optical response of graphene-based structures

Graphene is an exciting material for optoelectronics and plasmonics. Its optical response may be changed under mechanical action, such as stretching or corrugation, and with confinement of a size in a certain direction. Theoretical investigations play an important role in interpretation of experimental data and stimulating a search for novel graphene architectures. Thereby, it is important to analyze restrictions of modern approaches in calculation of optical properties of graphene‐based objects and, particularly, to reveal an impact of electron–electron and electron–hole interactions on the position and shape of optical features. Here, we review the recent progress in quantum‐chemical calculations of monolayer and few‐layer graphenes, graphene ripples, and dots in a light of optical excitations. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Many‐body interactions may markedly modify the optical transitions in graphene‐based structures. This review analyses the changes in the excitonic binding energy depending on deformation or size‐confinement of graphene lattice and interlayer coupling. The theoretical results are compared with optical absorption and low‐loss EEL spectra.