Plasmon bands in multilayer graphene

High-energy collective electronic excitations (plasmons) in freestanding multilayer graphene are studied by momentum-resolved electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS). For normal incidence, only the high-energy plasmon band is excited and we measure a blueshift of the [pi]-plasmon dispersion with increasing thickness. The observed transition between two-dimensional and three-dimensional behavior is explained using a layered-electron-gas (LEG) model. We propose a method to measure all individual plasmon bands by tilting the sample with respect to the electron beam. As a proof of concept, EELS experiments for three-layer graphene are compared with predictions from the LEG model.