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Christiano Wang Beach

Publications and source records attributed to Christiano Wang Beach.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

Electrically Programmable Correlated Topology and Magnetism in a Moiré Trilayer

Strong electron-electron interactions underlie a wide range of quantum many-body phenomena, including magnetism, superconductivity, and charge fractionalization. A central goal is to achieve in situ control over lattice geometry, bandwidth, and band topology within a single platform. Here we realize such an electrically programmable quantum many-body system in an alternating twisted trilayer MoTe$_2$, where an out-of-plane displacement field continuously modifies the layer polarization, effective lattice, and topology of the moiré bands. At zero displacement field, the system realizes a triangular lattice hosting a correlated insulator at one hole per moiré unit cell ($ν= -1$). Doping this state produces strongly asymmetric magnetic responses: double-exchange-like ferromagnetism for $|ν| > 1$, and signatures of spin polarons and antiferromagnetism for $|ν| < 1$. At large displacement field, interlayer hybridization reconstructs the electronic structure into a honeycomb lattice with a flat Chern band, supporting integer and fractional Chern insulators. Magneto-optical measurements further reveal the signatures of gap closure and Landau-level formation from a spin-polarized Fermi surface near the crossover between the two regimes. These results establish a unified, electrically tunable platform in which correlated magnetism and topological states emerge from a single controllable band structure.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

Universal Magnetic Phases in Twisted Bilayer MoTe$_2$

Twisted bilayer MoTe$_2$ (tMoTe$_2$) has emerged as a robust platform for exploring correlated topological phases, notably supporting fractional Chern insulator (FCI) states at zero magnetic field across a wide range of twist angles. The evolution of magnetism and topology with twist angle remains an open question. Here, we systematically map the magnetic phase diagram of tMoTe$_2$ using local optical spectroscopy and scanning nanoSQUID-on-tip (nSOT) magnetometry. We identify spontaneous ferromagnetism at moiré filling factors $ν= -1$ and $-3$ over a twist angle range from 2.1$^\circ$ to 3.7$^\circ$, revealing a universal, twist-angle-insensitive ferromagnetic phase. At 2.1$^\circ$, we further observe robust ferromagnetism at $ν= -5$, absent in the devices with larger twist angle -- a signature of the flattening of higher bands in this twist angle range. Temperature-dependent measurements reveal a contrasting twist-angle dependence of the Curie temperatures between $ν= -1$ and $ν= -3$, indicating distinct interplay between exchange interaction and bandwidth for the two Chern bands. Despite spontaneous time-reversal symmetry breaking, we find no evidence of a topological gap at $ν= -3$; however, fragile correlated topological phases could be obscured by the device disorder evident in our spatially resolved measurements. Our results establish a global framework for understanding and controlling magnetic order in tMoTe$_2$ and highlight its potential for accessing correlated topological phases in higher energy Chern band.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗