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arXiv · 2110.14674

Detecting symmetry breaking in magic angle graphene using scanning tunneling microscopy

Jung Pyo Hong·Tomohiro Soejima·Michael P. Zaletel
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Abstract

A growing body of experimental work suggests that magic angle twisted bilayer graphene exhibits a "cascade" of spontaneous symmetry breaking transitions, sparking interest in the potential relationship between symmetry-breaking and superconductivity. However, it has proven difficult to find experimental probes which can unambiguously identify the nature of the symmetry breaking. Here we show how atomically-resolved scanning tunneling microscopy can be used as a fingerprint of symmetry breaking order. By analyzing the pattern of sublattice polarization and "Kekul\'{e}" distortions in small magnetic fields, order parameters for each of the most competitive symmetry-breaking states can be identified. In particular, we show that the "Kramers intervalley coherent state," which theoretical work predicts to be the ground state at even integer fillings, shows a Kekul\'{e} distortion which emerges only in a magnetic field.

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Jung Pyo Hong, Tomohiro Soejima, Michael P. Zaletel. 2021-10-27. Detecting symmetry breaking in magic angle graphene using scanning tunneling microscopy. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.129.147001

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