arXiv subjects

Fengcheng Wu

Publications and source records attributed to Fengcheng Wu.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2023

Symmetric Wannier states and tight-binding model for quantum spin Hall bands in AB-stacked MoTe$_2$/WSe$_2$

Motivated by the observation of topological states in AB-stacked MoTe$_2$/WSe$_2$, we construct the symmetry-adapted Wannier states and tight-binding model for the quantum spin Hall bands in this system. Our construction is based on the symmetry analysis of Bloch states obtained from the continuum moiré Hamiltonian. For model parameters extracted from first-principles calculations, we find that the quantum spin Hall bands can be described by a tight-binding model defined on a triangular lattice. There are two Wannier states per valley, which have the same Wannier center but different angular momenta under threefold rotation. The tight-binding model not only reproduces the energy spectrum, but also accurately describes the topological phase transition induced by the out-of-plane displacement field. Our study sheds new light on the topological states in moiré transition metal dichalcogenides bilayers, and provides a route to addressing the many-body physics in AB-stacked MoTe$_2$/WSe$_2$.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Observation of Rydberg moiré excitons

Rydberg excitons, the solid-state counterparts of Rydberg atoms, have sparked considerable interest in harnessing their quantum application potentials, whereas a major challenge is realizing their spatial confinement and manipulation. Lately, the rise of two-dimensional moiré superlattices with highly tunable periodic potentials provides a possible pathway. Here, we experimentally demonstrate this capability through the observation of Rydberg moiré excitons (XRM), which are moiré trapped Rydberg excitons in monolayer semiconductor WSe2 adjacent to twisted bilayer graphene. In the strong coupling regime, the XRM manifest as multiple energy splittings, pronounced redshift, and narrowed linewidth in the reflectance spectra, highlighting their charge-transfer character where electron-hole separation is enforced by the strongly asymmetric interlayer Coulomb interactions. Our findings pave the way for pursuing novel physics and quantum technology exploitation based on the excitonic Rydberg states.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Phonon-limited resistivity of multilayer graphene systems

We calculate the theoretical contribution to the doping and temperature ($T$) dependence of electrical resistivity due to scattering by acoustic phonons in Bernal bilayer graphene (BBG) and rhombohedral trilayer graphene (RTG). We focus on the role of nontrivial geometric features of the detailed, anisotropic $k\cdot p$ band structures of these systems - e.g. Van Hove singularities, Lifshitz transitions, Fermi surface anisotropy, and band curvature near the gap - whose effects on transport have not yet been systematically studied. We find that these geometric features strongly influence the temperature and doping dependencies of the resistivity. In particular, the band geometry leads to a nonlinear $T$-dependence in the high-$T$ equipartition regime, complicating the usual $T^4$ to $T$ Bloch-Grüneisen crossover. Our focus on BBG and RTG is motivated by recent experiments in these systems that have discovered several exotic low-$T$ superconductivity proximate to complicated hierarchies of isospin-polarized phases. These interaction-driven phases are intimately related to the geometric features of the band structures, highlighting the importance of understanding the influence of band geometry on transport. While resolving the effects of the anisotropic band geometry on the scattering times requires nontrivial numerical solution, our approach is rooted in intuitive Boltzmann theory. We compare our results with recent experiment and discuss how our predictions can be used to elucidate the relative importance of various scattering mechanisms in these systems.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Enhanced superconductivity through virtual tunneling in Bernal bilayer graphene coupled to WSe$_2$

Motivated by a recent experiment [arXiv:2205.05087], we investigate a possible mechanism that enhances superconductivity in hole-doped Bernal bilayer graphene due to a proximate WSe$_2$ monolayer. We show that the virtual tunneling between WSe$_2$ and Bernal bilayer graphene, which is known to induce Ising spin-orbit coupling, can generate an additional attraction between two holes, providing a potential explanation for enhancing superconductivity in Bernal bilayer graphene. Using microscopic interlayer tunneling, we derive the Ising spin-orbit coupling and the effective attraction as functions of the twist angle between Bernal bilayer graphene and the WSe$_2$ monolayer. Our theory provides an intuitive and physical explanation for the intertwined relation between Ising spin-orbit coupling and superconductivity enhancement, which should motivate future studies.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2022

Prediction of ferroelectric superconductors with reversible superconducting diode effect

A noncentrosymmetric superconductor can have a superconducting diode effect, where the critical current in opposite directions is different when time-reversal symmetry is also broken. We theoretically propose that a ferroelectric superconductor with coexisting ferroelectricity and superconductivity can support a ferroelectric reversible superconducting diode effect. Through first-principles calculation, we predict that monolayer CuNb$_2$Se$_4$ (i.e., bilayer NbSe$_2$ intercalated with Cu) is such a ferroelectric superconductor, where ferroelectricity controls the layer polarization as well as the sign of spin-orbit coupling induced spin splittings. Because the nonreciprocal effect of the critical current is proportional to the spin splittings, the superconducting diode effect is reversible upon electric switch of ferroelectricity. While we use CuNb$_2$Se$_4$ as a model system, the predicted effect can appear in a class of two-dimensional superconducting bilayers with ferroelectricity induced by interlayer sliding. Our work opens the door to studying the interplay between superconductivity and ferroelectricity in two-dimensional materials.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2022

Thickness and twist angle dependent interlayer excitons in metal monochalcogenide heterostructures

Interlayer excitons, or bound electron-hole pairs whose constituent quasiparticles are located in distinct stacked semiconducting layers, are being intensively studied in heterobilayers of two dimensional semiconductors. They owe their existence to an intrinsic type-II band alignment between both layers that convert these into p-n junctions. Here, we unveil a pronounced interlayer exciton (IX) in heterobilayers of metal monochalcogenides, namely gamma-InSe on epsilon-GaSe, whose pronounced emission is adjustable just by varying their thicknesses given their number of layers dependent direct bandgaps. Time-dependent photoluminescense spectroscopy unveils considerably longer interlayer exciton lifetimes with respect to intralayer ones, thus confirming their nature. The linear Stark effect yields a bound electron-hole pair whose separation d is just (3.6 \pm 0.1) Å with d being very close to dSe = 3.4 Å which is the calculated interfacial Se separation. The envelope of IX is twist angle dependent and describable by superimposed emissions that are nearly equally spaced in energy, as if quantized due to localization induced by the small moiré periodicity. These heterostacks are characterized by extremely flat interfacial valence bands making them prime candidates for the observation of magnetism or other correlated electronic phases upon carrier doping.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Topological Phases in AB-Stacked MoTe$_2$/WSe$_2$: $\mathbb{Z}_2$ Topological Insulators, Chern Insulators, and Topological Charge Density Waves

We present a theory on the quantum phase diagram of AB-stacked MoTe$_2$/WSe$_2$ using a self-consistent Hartree-Fock calculation performed in the plane-wave basis, motivated by the observation of topological states in this system. At filling factor $ν=2$ (two holes per moiré unit cell), Coulomb interaction can stabilize a $\mathbb{Z}_2$ topological insulator by opening a charge gap. At $ν=1$, the interaction induces three classes of competing states, spin density wave states, an in-plane ferromagnetic state, and a valley polarized state, which undergo first-order phase transitions tuned by an out-of-plane displacement field. The valley polarized state becomes a Chern insulator for certain displacement fields. Moreover, we predict a topological charge density wave forming a honeycomb lattice with ferromagnetism at $ν=2/3$. Future directions on this versatile system hosting a rich set of quantum phases are discussed.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Mott-moiré excitons

We develop a systematic theory for excitons subject to Fermi-Hubbard physics in moiré twisted transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs). Specifically, we consider excitons in moiré systems for which the valence band is in the Mott-insulating regime. These "Mott-moiré excitons", which are achievable in twisted TMD heterobilayers, are bound states of a magnetic polaron in the valence band and a free electron in the conduction band. We find significantly narrower exciton bandwidths in the presence of Hubbard physics, serving as a potential experimental signature of strong correlations. We also demonstrate the high tunability of Mott-moiré excitons through the dependence of their binding energies, diameters, and bandwidths on the moiré period. Our work provides guidelines for future exploration of strongly correlated excitons in twisted TMD heterobilayers.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Pair density wave and loop current promoted by van Hove singularities in moiré systems

We theoretically show that in the presence of conventional or higher order van Hove singularities(VHS), the bare finite momentum pairing, also known as the pair density wave (PDW), susceptibility can be promoted to the same order of the most divergent bare BCS susceptibility through a valley-contrasting flux 3$ϕ$ in each triangular plaquette at $ϕ=\fracπ{3}$ and $ϕ=\fracπ{6}$ in moiré systems. This makes the PDW order a possible leading instability for an electronic system with repulsive interactions. We confirm that it indeed wins over all other instabilities and becomes the ground state under certain conditions through the renormalization group calculation and a flux insertion argument. Moreover, we also find that a topological nontrivial loop current order becomes the leading instability if the Fermi surface with conventional VHS is perfectly nested at $ϕ=\fracπ{3}$. Similar to the Haldane model, this loop current state has the quantum anomalous Hall effect. If we dope this loop current state or introduce a finite next-nearest neighbour hopping $t^{\prime}$, the chiral $d$-wave PDW becomes the dominant instability. Experimentally, the flux can be effectively tuned by an out-of-plane electric field in moiré systems based on graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Strange metallicity of moiré twisted bilayer graphene

Recent measurements in several different laboratories report the observation of an approximately linear-in-temperature resistivity with a large twist-angle-dependent slope (or temperature coefficient) in moiré twisted bilayer graphene (tBLG) down to a few K and sometimes to much lower temperatures. In this note, we theoretically discuss this `strange metal' linear-in-temperature transport behavior from the perspective of resistive scattering by acoustic phonons, emphasizing the aspects of the transport data, which are and which are not consistent with the phonon scattering mechanism. Extensive theoretical comparison with a new experiment [A. Jaoui et al., Nature Physics 18, 633 (2022)] is the central new aspect of this work.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Acoustic-phonon-mediated superconductivity in moiréless graphene multilayers

We investigate the competition between acoustic-phonon-mediated superconductivity and the long-range Coulomb interaction in moiréless graphene multilayers, specifically, Bernal bilayer graphene, rhombohedral trilayer graphene, and ABCA-stacked tetralayer graphene. In these graphene multilayers, the acoustic phonons can realize, through electron-phonon coupling, both spin-singlet and spin-triplet pairings, and the intra-sublattice pairings ($s$-wave spin-singlet and $f$-wave spin-triplet) are the dominant channels. Our theory naturally explains the distinct recent experimental findings in Bernal bilayer graphene and rhombohedral trilayer graphene, and we further predict existence of superconductivity in ABCA tetralayer graphene arising from electron-phonon interactions. In particular, we demonstrate that the acoustic-phonon-mediated superconductivity prevails over a wide range of doping in rhombohedral trilayer graphene and ABCA tetralayer graphene while superconductivity exists only in a narrow range of doping near the Van Hove singularity in Bernal bilayer graphene. Key features of our theory are the inclusion of realistic band structures with the appropriate Van Hove singularities and Coulomb repulsion effects (the so-called "$μ^*$ effect") opposing the phonon-induced superconducting pairing. We also discuss how intervalley scatterings can suppress the spin-triplet spin-polarized superconductivity. Our work provides detailed prediction based on electron-acoustic-phonon-interaction-induced graphene superconductivity, which should be investigated in future experiments.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2022

Temperature-linear Resistivity in Twisted Double Bilayer Graphene

We report an experimental study of carrier density (n), displacement field (D) and twist angle (θ) dependence of temperature (T)-linear resistivity in twisted double bilayer graphene (TDBG). For a large twist angle (θ>1.5°) where correlated insulating states are absent, we observe a T-linear resistivity (with the slope of the order ~10Ω/K) over a wide range of carrier density and its slope decreases with increasing of n, in agreement with acoustic phonon scattering model semi-quantitatively. The slope of T-linear resistivity is non-monotonically dependent on the displacement field with a single peak structure. For device with θ~1.23° at which correlated states emerge, the slope of T-linear resistivity is found maximum (~100Ω/K) at the boundary of the halo structure where phase transition occurs, with signatures of continuous phase transition, Planckian dissipation, and the diverging effective mass; these observations are in line with quantum critical behaviors, which might be due to the symmetry-breaking instability at the critical points. Our results shed new light on correlated physics in TDBG and other twisted moiré systems.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Symmetry breaking and anomalous conductivity in a double moiré superlattice

A double moiré superlattice can be realized by stacking three layers of atomically thin two-dimensional materials with designer interlayer twisting or lattice mismatches. In this novel structure, atomic reconstruction of constituent layers could introduce significant modifications to the lattice symmetry and electronic structure at small twist angles. Here, we employ conductive atomic force microscopy (cAFM) to investigate symmetry breaking and local electrical properties in twisted trilayer graphene. We observe clear double moiré superlattices with two distinct moire periods all over the sample. At neighboring domains of the large moiré, the current exhibit either two- or six-fold rotational symmetry, indicating delicate symmetry breaking beyond the rigid model. Moreover, an anomalous current appears at the 'A-A' stacking site of the larger moiré, contradictory to previous observations on twisted bilayer graphene. Both behaviors can be understood by atomic reconstruction, and we also show that the cAFM signal of twisted graphene samples is dominated by the tip-graphene contact resistance that maps the local work function of twisted graphene and the metallic tip qualitatively. Our results unveil cAFM is an effective probe for visualizing atomic reconstruction and symmetry breaking in novel moiré superlattices, which could provide new insights for exploring and manipulating more exotic quantum states based on twisted van der Waals heterostructures.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Tailoring Dirac fermions by in-situ tunable high-order moire pattern in graphene-monolayer xenon heterostructure

A variety of novel quantum phases have been achieved in twist bilayer graphene (tBLG) and other moire superlattices recently, including correlated insulators, superconductivity, magnetism, and topological states. These phenomena are very sensitive to the moire superlattices, which can hardly be changed rapidly or intensely. Here, we report the experimental realization of a high-order moire pattern (a high-order interference pattern) in graphene-monolayer xenon heterostructure (G/mXe), with moire period in-situ tuned from few nanometers to infinity by changing the lattice constant of Xe through different annealing temperatures and pressures. We use angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to directly observe that replicas of graphene Dirac cone emerge and move close to each other in momentum-space as moire pattern continuously expands in real-space. When the moire period approaches infinity, the replicas finally overlap with each other and an energy gap is observed at the Dirac point induced by intervalley coupling, which is a manifestation of Kekule distortion. We construct a continuum moire Hamiltonian, which can explain the experimental results well. The form of moire Hamiltonian in G/mXe is similar to that in tBLG, and moire band with narrow bandwidth is predicted in G/mXe. However, the moire Hamiltonian couples Dirac fermions from different valleys in G/mXe, instead of ones from different layers in tBLG. Our work demonstrates a novel platform to study the continuous evolution of moire pattern and its modulation effect on electronic structure, and provides an unprecedented approach for tailoring Dirac fermions with tunable intervalley coupling.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Acoustic-phonon-mediated superconductivity in Bernal bilayer graphene

We present a systematic theory of acoustic-phonon-mediated superconductivity, which incorporates Coulomb repulsion, explaining the recent experiment in Bernal bilayer graphene under a large displacement field. The acoustic-phonon mechanism predicts that $s$-wave spin-singlet and $f$-wave spin-triplet pairings are degenerate and dominant. Assuming a spin-polarized valley-unpolarized normal state, we obtain $f$-wave spin-triplet superconductivity with a $T_c\sim 20$ mK near $n_e=-0.6\times 10^{12}$ cm$^{-2}$ for hole doping, in approximate agreement with the experiment. We further predict the existence of superconductivity for larger doping in both electron-doped and hole-doped regimes. Our results indicate that the observed spin-triplet superconductivity in Bernal bilayer graphene arises from acoustic phonons.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2022

Pomeranchuk Effect and Tunable Quantum Phase Transitions in 3L-MoTe2/WSe2

Many sought-after exotic states of matter are known to emerge close to quantum phase transitions, such as quantum spin liquids (QSL) and unconventional superconductivity. It is thus desirable to experimentally explore systems that can be continuously tuned across these transitions. Here, we demonstrate such tunability and the electronic correlation effects in triangular moiré superlattices formed between trilayer MoTe$_2$ and monolayer WSe$_2$ (3L-MoTe$_2$/WSe$_2$). Through electric transport measurements, we firmly establish the Pomeranchuk effect observed at half filling of the first moiré subband, where increasing temperature paradoxically enhances charge localization. The system simultaneously exhibits the characteristic of a Fermi liquid with strongly renormalized effective mass, suggesting a correlated metal state. The state is highly susceptible to out-of-plane electric and magnetic fields, which induce a Lifshitz transition and a metal-insulator transition (MIT), respectively. It enables identification of a tricritical point in the quantum phase diagram at the base temperature. We explain the Lifshitz transition in terms of interlayer charge transfer by applying the vertical electric field, which leads to the emergence of a new Fermi surface and immediate suppression of the Pomeranchuk effect. The existence of quantum criticality in the magnetic filed induced MIT is supported by scaling behaviors of the resistance. Our work shows the 3L-MoTe$_2$/WSe$_2$ lies in the vicinity to the MIT point of the triangular lattice Hubbard model, rendering it a unique system to manifest the rich correlation effects at an intermediate interaction strength.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Euler Obstructed Cooper Pairing in Twisted Bilayer Graphene: Nematic Nodal Superconductivity and Bounded Superfluid Weight

Magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene (MATBG) hosts normal-state nearly-flat bands with nonzero Euler numbers and shows superconductivity. In this work, we study the effects of the nontrivial normal-state band topology on the intervalley $C_{2z}\mathcal{T}$-invariant mean-field Cooper pairing order parameter in MATBG. We show that the pairing order parameter can always be split into a trivial channel and an Euler obstructed channel in all gauges for the normal-state basis, generalizing the previously-studied channel splitting in the Chern gauge. The nonzero normal-state Euler numbers require the pairing gap function of the Euler obstructed channel to have zeros, while the trivial channel can have a nonvanishing pairing gap function. When the pairing is spontaneously nematic, we find that a sufficiently-dominant Euler obstructed channel with two zeros typically leads to nodal superconductivity. Under the approximation of exactly-flat bands, we find that the mean-field zero-temperature superfluid weight is generally bounded from below, no matter whether the Euler obstructed channel is dominant or not, generalizing the previously-derived bound for the uniform s-wave pairing. We numerically verify these statements for pairings derived from a local attractive interaction. Our work suggests that Euler obstructed Cooper pairing may play an essential role in the superconducting MATBG.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2021

Observation of Moiré Flat Bands in Sonic Crystals

Recently, artificial moire superlattices of classical waves have aroused tremendous interest, inspired by the newly emergent twistronics that focuses on the peculiar electronic properties induced by flat bands. However, so far, the moire flat bands have not been observed directly. Here, we report the first experimental observation of ultraflat bands in moire sonic crystals with frequency-momentum spectra, together with a real-space visualization of the hallmark localized states. Strikingly different from the established magic angle mechanism for twisted bilayer graphene, the flat bands are formed by weakly coupled moire potential-well states inside a wide band gap, and can be realized over a broad range of twist angles. The average group velocity of the moire localized states, as a faithful reflection of the band flatness, decays exponentially with the moire period of the acoustic structure. Our findings, applicable to all artificial crystals, enable new possibilities for manipulating classical waves with moire structures.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗