Spectroscopy of Correlation-enabled Chern Insulators in Magic-Angle Twisted Bilayer Graphene

ORAL

Abstract

Electronic interactions play a central role for the formation of various correlated phases in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene (MATBG). Here we report results on local properties of newly discovered correlated Chern insulating phases that develop in the presence of finite magnetic fields. We identify Chern numbers of these topological phases using a novel spectroscopic technique hinging on scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) that enables us to reconstruct a local, spatially dependent, Landau fan diagram. The corresponding spectroscopy in finite fields directly reveals that these Chern phases arise from the strong exchange-like interaction that acts on the Hofstadter sub-bands. Moreover, the spatial mapping in an area where twist angle slowly changes further reveals that these phases form in fields B<8T only in close vicinity (0.1deg) of the magic-angle value. Our results highlight the importance of strong interactions in the formation of topological phases in MATBG.

*This work is supported by NSF through grants DMR-2005129 and DMR-1723367, and by the Army Research Office under Grant Award W911NF-17-1-0323. Y.C. was supported by Kwanjeong Educational Foundation. We also acknowledge support by IQIM, NSF funded physics frontiers center.

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Presenters

  • Youngjoon Choi

    • Caltech
    • Department of Physics, California Institute of Technology

Authors

  • Youngjoon Choi

    • Caltech
    • Department of Physics, California Institute of Technology

  • Hyunjin Kim

    • Caltech
    • Department of Physics, California Institute of Technology

  • Yang Peng

    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, California State University, Northridge, USA
    • Caltech
    • California State University, Northridge

  • Alex R Thomson

    • Caltech
    • Department of Physics, California Institute of Technology

  • Cyprian Lewandowski

    • Department of Physics, California Institute of Technology
    • California Institute of Technology
    • Caltech

  • Kenji Watanabe

    • National Institute for Materials Science
    • National Institute for Materials Science, Japan
    • National Institure for Materials Science
    • Advanced Materials Laboratory, National Institute for Materials Science
    • NIMS
    • National Institute of Materials Science
    • National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS)
    • Research Center for Functional Materials, National Institute for Materials Science
    • National Institute for Materials Science,1-1 Namiki
    • National Institute of Material Science
    • National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Japan
    • Research Center for Functional Materials, NIMS
    • National Institute of Materials Science, Tsukuba, Japan
    • National Institude for Materials Science
    • National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
    • Research Center for Functional Materials, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba 305-0044, Japan
    • International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics, National Institute for Materials
    • NIMS - Japan
    • National Institute for Materials Science ,Japan
    • National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, 305-0044, Ibaraki, Japan
    • National Institute for Material Science
    • National Institute for Material Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba 305-0044, Japan
    • National Institute for Material Science Japan
    • NIMS Tsukuba
    • National Institute for Materials Science, Research Center for Functional Materials, Japan
    • Research Center for Functional Materials, National Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba 305-0044, Japan
    • National Institute for Materials Science: Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, JP
    • National Institue for Material Science
    • National Institute for Materials Science,1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, 305-0044, Japan
    • Materials, NIMS
    • Research Center for Functional Materials, National Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba 305-0044, Japan, Research Center for Functional Materials, National In
    • Research Center for Functional Materials, Japan
    • International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics, National Institute for Materials Science
    • International Center for Materials nanoarchtectonics, National Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, 305-0044, Japan
    • NIMS Suguba
    • NIMS, Tsukuba, Japan
    • National Institute for Materials Science, Namiki 1-1, Tsukuba, 305-0044, Ibaraki, Japan
    • National institute of material science
    • Advanced Materials Laboratory, National Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, 305-0044, Japan
    • Advanced Materials Laboratory, NIMS
    • Research Center for Functional Materials, National Institute for Materials Science, Ibaraki, Japan
    • National Institute for Materials Science, Research Center for Functional Materials
    • National Institute of Material Science, Japan
    • Tsukuba, National Institute for Materials Science

  • Takashi Taniguchi

    • National Institute for Materials Science
    • National Institute for Materials Science, Japan
    • National Institure for Materials Science
    • Advanced Materials Laboratory, National Institute for Materials Science
    • NIMS
    • National Institute of Materials Science
    • National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS)
    • International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics, National Institute for Materials Science
    • National Institute for Materials Science,1-1 Namiki
    • National Institute of Material Science
    • National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Japan
    • International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics, NIMS
    • Research Center for Functional Materials, National Institute for Materials Science
    • National Institute of Materials Science, Tsukuba, Japan
    • National Institude for Materials Science
    • International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba 305-0044, Japan
    • International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics, National Institute for Materials
    • NIMS - Japan
    • National Institute for Materials Science ,Japan
    • National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, 305-0044, Ibaraki, Japan
    • National Institute for Material Science
    • National Institute for Material Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba 305-0044, Japan
    • National Institute for Material Science Japan
    • 8International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics
    • NIMS Tsukuba
    • National Institute for Materials Science: Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, JP
    • National Institue for Material Science
    • National Institute for Materials Science,1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, 305-0044, Japan
    • Research Center for Functional Materials, National Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba 305-0044, Japan, Research Center for Functional Materials, National In
    • Research Center for Functional Materials, Japan
    • Research Center for Functional Materials, National Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, 305-0044, Japan
    • International Center for Material Nanoarchitectonics, National Institute for Materials Science
    • International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics
    • NIMS Suguba
    • NIMS, Tsukuba, Japan
    • National Cheng Kung University
    • National Institute for Materials Science, Namiki 1-1, Tsukuba, 305-0044, Ibaraki, Japan
    • National institute of material science
    • Advanced Materials Laboratory, National Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, 305-0044, Japan
    • Advanced Materials Laboratory, NIMS
    • National Institute for Materials Science, International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics
    • National Institute of Material Science, Japan
    • Tsukuba, National Institute for Materials Science

  • Jason F. Alicea

    • Caltech
    • Department of Physics, California Institute of Technology
    • Department of Physics and Institute for Quantum Information and Matter; Walter Burke Institute for Theoretical Physics, California Institute of Technology

  • Stevan Nadj-Perge

    • Caltech
    • Watson Laboratory of Applied Physics, California Institute of Technology
    • Physics, California Institute of Technology