Electronic nematicity in a transition metal dichalcogenide heterobilayer Moire system

Moiré systems have recently garnered tremendous attention due to their highly tunable electronic properties, which allow them to realize a rich set of electronic states. Recent experiments on a WS2/WSe2 hetero-bilayer system reveal a series of charge-ordered states at various commensurate Moiré lattice fillings. These experiments also find evidence for rotational symmetry breaking in the entire filling region between 1/3 and 2/3. Specifically, we use Monte Carlo simulations to explore the phase diagram for charge density wave and nematic phases at non-zero temperatures in the vicinity of and away from various commensurate densities. We also study the properties of topological defects involved in the melting of the charge density waves.