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. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.