Twist-decoupled van der Waals layers as a probe for correlated quantum phases

ORAL

Abstract

Determining the symmetry breaking order of correlated quantum phases is essential for understanding the microscopic interactions in their host systems. In this talk, I will discuss a new technique based on twist-decoupled van der Waals layers that enables measurements of their electronic band structure and, by studying the backscattering between counter-propagating edge states in transport, determination of the relative spin polarization of their edge modes. We apply this method to twist-decoupled magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene (MATBG) and monolayer graphene, where we find that the broken-symmetry quantum Hall states that extend from the charge neutrality point in MATBG are spin-unpolarized at even integer filling factors. The measurements also indicate that the correlated Chern insulator emerging from half filling of the flat valence band is spin-unpolarized, but suggest that its conduction band counterpart may be spin-polarized. Our results constrain models of spin-valley ordering in MATBG and establish a versatile approach to study the electronic properties of van der Waals systems.

**This work was supported by the QSQM, an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences (BES)

Publication: arXiv:2309.06583

Presenters

  • Yifan Li

    • Stanford University

Authors

  • Yifan Li

    • Stanford University
  • Jesse Hoke

    • Stanford University
  • Julian May-Mann

    • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champai
    • Stanford
  • Kenji Watanabe

    • National Institute for Materials Science
    • NIMS
    • Research Center for Electronic and Optical Materials, National Institute for Materials Science
    • Research Center for Functional Materials, National Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba 305-0044, Japan
    • National Institute for Material Science
  • Takashi Taniguchi

    • Kyoto Univ
    • National Institute for Materials Science
    • Research Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics
    • Research Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics, National Institute for Materials Science
    • National Institute for Materials Sciences
    • NIMS
    • International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics, National Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba 305-0044, Japan
    • National Institute for Material Science
    • International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics, NIMS, Japan
    • International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics, Tsukuba
    • National Institue for Materials Science
    • Kyoto University
    • National Institute of Materials Science
    • International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics and National Institute for Materials Science
  • Barry Bradlyn

    • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champai
    • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champain
  • Taylor Hughes

    • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • Ben Feldman

    • Stanford University