  Graphene is a novel two-dimensional material with fascinating electrodynamic
properties like the ability to support collective electron oscillations
(plasmons) accompanied by tight confinement of electromagnetic fields. Our goal
is to explore light-matter interaction in graphene in the context of plasmonics
and other technological applications but also to use graphene as a platform for
studying many body physics like the interaction between plasmons, phonons and
other elementary excitations. Plasmons and plasmon-phonon interaction are
analyzed within the self-consistent linear response approximation. We
demonstrate that electron-phonon interaction leads to large plasmon damping
when plasmon energy exceeds that of the optical phonon but also a peculiar
mixing of plasmon and optical phonon polarizations. Plasmon-phonon coupling is
strongest when these two excitations have similar energy and momentum. We also
analyze properties of transverse electric plasmons in bilayer graphene. Finally
we show that thermally excited plasmons strongly mediate and enhance the near
field radiation transfer between two closely separated graphene sheets. We also
demonstrate that graphene can be used as a thermal emitter in the near field
thermophotovoltaics leading to large efficiencies and power densities. Near
field heat transfer is analyzed withing the framework of fluctuational
electrodynamics.
