Lattice deformations couple to the low-energy electronic excitations of graphene as vector fields similar to the electromagnetic potential. The observation of strain-induced pseudo Landau levels with scanning tunnel microscopy experiments has been one of the most exciting events in the history of graphene. Nevertheless, the experimental observation presents some ambiguities. Similar strain patterns show different images that are sometimes difficult to interpret. In this Rapid Communication, we show that, for some strain configurations, the deformation potential acts as a parallel electric field able to destabilize the Landau level structure via a mechanism identical to that occurring for real electromagnetic fields. This effect also alters the estimations of the value of the pseudomagnetic field, which can be significantly bigger. The mechanism applies equally if the electric field has an external origin, which opens the door to an electric control of giant pseudomagnetic fields in graphene.

• Received 9 January 2017

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.96.241405