arXiv subjects

K. Watanabe

Publications and source records attributed to K. Watanabe.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

arXiv2021

Revealing the ultra-sensitive calorimetric properties of supercon-ducting magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene

The allegedly unconventional superconducting phase of magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene (MATBG)1 has been predicted to possess extraordinary thermal properties, as it is formed from a highly diluted electron ensemble with both a record-low carrier density n ~ 10^11 cm-2 and electronic heat capacity Ce < 100 kB. While these attributes position MATBG as a ground-breaking material platform for revolutionary calorimetric applications2, these properties have so far not been experimentally shown. Here we reveal the ultra-sensitive calorimetric properties of a superconducting MATBG device, by monitoring its temperature dependent critical current Ic under continuous laser heating with a wavelength of 1550nm. From the bolometric effect, we are able to extract the temperature dependence of the electronic thermal conductance Gth, which remarkably has a non-zero value Gth = 0.19 pW/K at 35mK and in the low temperature limit is consistent with a power law dependence, as expected for nodal superconductors. Photo-voltage measurements on this non-optimized device reveal a peak responsivity of S = 5.8 x 10^7 V/W when the device is biased close to Ic, with a noise-equivalent power of NEP = 5.5 x 10^-16 WHz^-1/2. Analysis of the intrinsic perfor-mance shows that a theoretically achievable limit is defined by thermal fluctuations and can be as low as NEPTEF < 10^-20 WHz-1/2, with operation speeds as fast as ~ 500 ns. This establishes superconducting MATBG as a revolutionizing active material for ultra-sensitive photon-detection applications, which could enable currently unavailable technologies such as THz photon-number-resolving single-photon-detectors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2021

Stacked polarimeters with twisted black phosphorus

The real-time, in-line analysis of light polarization is critical in optical communication networks, which suffers from the complex systems with numerous bulky opto-electro-mechanical elements tandemly arranged along optical path. Here, we propose a fiber-integrated polarimeter with nano-thickness by vertically stacking three two-dimensional (2D) materials based photodetection units. We demonstrate a self-power-calibrated, ultrafast, unambiguous detection of linear (LP) and circular polarized (CP) light according to the symmetry broken induced linear photogalvanic effects (LPGE) and circular photogalvanic effects (CPGE) in black phosphorous (BP) units, which are twistedly stacked to substitute traditional mechanical rotation of polarizers. As a demonstration, we achieve Hadamard single-pixel polarimetric imaging by the polarimeter to recognize the polarization distributions, showing potential in high-speed polarization-division-multiplexed imaging and real-time polarized endoscopy. This work provides a new strategy for next-generation ultracompact optical and optoelectronic systems, and guides a way for developing high-resolution arrayed devices with multifunctional pixels.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2021

Spin dependent charge transfer in MoSe2/hBN/Ni hybrid structures

We present magneto-photoluminescence measurements in a hybrid 2D semiconductor/ferromagnetic structure consisting of MoSe2/hBN/Ni. When the Nickel layer is magnetized, we observe circularly polarized photoluminescence of the trion peak in MoSe2 monolayer under linearly polarized excitation. This build-up of circular polarization can reach a measured value of about 4% when the magnetization of Ni is saturated perpendicularly to the sample plane, and changes its sign when the magnetization is reversed. The circular polarization decreases when the hBN barrier thickness increases. These results are interpreted in terms of a spin-dependent charge transfer between the MoSe2 monolayer and the Nickel film. The build-up of circular polarization is observed up to 120 K, mainly limited by the trion emission that vanishes with temperature.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Surface states and quasiparticle interference in Bernal and rhombohedral graphite with and without trigonal warping

We use an exact analytical technique [Phys. Rev. B \textbf{101}, 115405 (2020), Phys. Rev. B \textbf{102}, 165117 (2020)] to recover the surface Green's functions for Bernal (ABA) and rhombohedral (ABC) graphite. For rhombohedral graphite we recover the predicted surface flat bands. For Bernal graphite we find that the surface state spectral function is similar to the bilayer one, but the trigonal warping effects are enhanced, and the surface quasiparticles have a much shorter lifetime. We subsequently use the T-matrix formalism to study the quasiparticle interference patterns generated on the surface of semi-infinite ABA and ABC graphite in the presence of impurity scattering. We compare our predictions to experimental STM data of impurity-localized states on the surface of Bernal graphite which appear to be in a good agreement with our calculations.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Quantum Hall nano-interferometer in graphene

Quantum Hall edge states offer avenues for quasiparticle interferometry, provided that the ratio between phase coherence length and quantum Hall interferometer (QHI) size is large enough. Maximizing this ratio by shrinking the QHI area favors Coulomb interactions, impairing clear interferences observation. Here, we use scanning gate spectroscopy to probe interference regime in antidots-based graphene nano-QHIs, free of localized states (LS). A simple Fabry-Perot model, without Coulomb interaction, reproduces the QHI phenomenology, even in the smallest QHI, highlighting the LS detrimental role.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Magnetic Josephson Junctions and Superconducting Diodes in Magic Angle Twisted Bilayer Graphene

The simultaneous co-existence and gate-tuneability of the superconducting (SC), magnetic and topological orders in magic angle twisted bilayer graphene (MATBG) open up entirely new possibilities for the creation of complex hybrid Josephson junctions (JJ). Here we report on the creation of gate-defined, magnetic Josephson junctions in MATBG, where the weak link is gate-tuned close to the correlated state at a moiré filling factor of ν=-2. A highly unconventional Fraunhofer pattern emerges, which is phase-shifted and asymmetric with respect to the current and magnetic field directions, and shows a pronounced magnetic hysteresis. Interestingly, our theoretical calculations of the JJ with a valley polarized ν=-2 with orbital magnetization as the weak link explain most of these unconventional features without fine tuning the parameters. While these unconventional Josephson effects persist up to the critical temperature Tc ~ 3.5K of the superconducting state, at temperatures below T < 800mK, we observed a pronounced magnetic hysteresis possibly due to further spin-polarization of the ν=-2 state. We demonstrate how the combination of magnetization and its current induced magnetization switching in the MATBG JJ allows us to realize a programmable zero field superconducting diode, which represents a major building block for a new generation of superconducting quantum electronics.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2021

Twistons in a Sea of Magic

Magic angle twisted trilayer graphene (TTG) has recently emerged as a new platform to engineer strongly correlated flat bands. Here, we reveal the structural and electronic properties of TTG using low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy at twist angles for which superconductivity has been observed. Real trilayer samples deviate from their idealized structure due to a strong reconstruction of the moiré lattice, which locks layers into near-magic angle, mirror symmetric domains comparable in size to the superconducting coherence length. The price for this magic relaxation is the introduction of an array of localized twist angle faults, termed twistons. These novel, gate-tunable moiré defects offer a natural explanation for the superconducting dome observed in transport and provide an avenue to probe superconducting pairing mechanisms through disorder tuning.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Charged bosons made of fermions in a solid state system without Cooper pairing

We report experimental evidence for charged boson states in a solid without Cooper pairing, based on attaching two free carriers to an exciton in a semiconducting system. Theoretical calculations show that this type of complex is stable in bilayer systems next to a parallel metal layer. Our experimental measurements on structures made using two different materials show a new spectral line at the predicted energy, if and only if all the required conditions for this complex are fulfilled, including a parallel metal layer that significantly screens the repulsive interaction between the like-charge carriers, and with the predicted dependence on the distance to the metal layer. This suggests a new path for pursuing room temperature superconductivity without Cooper pairing.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2021

Interaction driven giant thermopower in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene

Magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene (MtBLG) has proven to be an extremely promising new platform to realize and study a host of emergent quantum phases arising from the strong correlations in its narrow bandwidth flat band. In this regard, thermal transport phenomena like thermopower, in addition to being coveted technologically, is also sensitive to the particle-hole (PH) asymmetry, making it a crucial tool to probe the underlying electronic structure of this material. We have carried out thermopower measurements of MtBLG as a function of carrier density, temperature and magnetic field, and report the observation of an unusually large thermopower reaching up to a value as high as $\sim \bf{100μV/K}$ at a low temperature of 1K. Surprisingly, our observed thermopower exhibiting peak-like features in close correspondence to the resistance peaks around the integer Moire fillings, including the Dirac Point, violating the Mott formula. %Surprisingly, our observed thermopower exhibits peak-like features in close correspondence to the resistance peaks around the integer Moire fillings, including the Dirac Point, which completely violates the Mott formula. We show that the large thermopower peaks and their %non-monotonic dependence with temperature and magnetic field associated behaviour arise from the emergent highly PH asymmetric electronic structure due to the cascade of Dirac revivals. Furthermore, the thermopower shows an anomalous peak around the superconducting transition on the hole side and points towards the possible role of enhanced superconducting fluctuations in MtBLG.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Signature of spin-resolved quantum point contact in p-type trilayer WSe$_{2}$ van der Waals heterostructure

In this study, the electrostatically induced quantum confinement structure, quantum point contact, has been realized in p-type trilayer tungsten diselenide-based van der Waals heterostructure with modified van der Waals contact method with degenerately doped transition metal dichalcogenide crystals. Clear quantized conductance and pinch-off state through the one-dimensional confinement were observed by dual-gating of split gate electrodes and top gate. Conductance plateaus were observed at step of 0.5 $\times$ 2e$^{2}$/h at zero and high magnetic field in addition to quarter plateaus at a finite bias voltage condition indicating the signature of spin-polarized quantum point contact realization.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Spontaneous Gully Polarized Quantum Hall States in ABA Trilayer Graphene

Bernal-stacked multilayer graphene is a versatile platform to explore quantum transport phenomena and interaction physics due to its exceptional tunability via electrostatic gating. For instance, upon applying a perpendicular electric field, its band structure exhibits several off-center Dirac points (so-called Dirac gullies) in each valley. Here, the formation of Dirac gullies and the interaction-induced breakdown of gully coherence is explored via magnetotransport measurements in high-quality Bernal-stacked (ABA) trilayer graphene. In the absence of a magnetic field, multiple Lifshitz transitions as function of electric field and charge carrier density indicating the formation of Dirac gullies are identified. In the quantum Hall regime and high electric fields, the emergence of Dirac gullies is evident as an increase in Landau level degeneracy. When tuning both electric and magnetic fields, electron-electron interactions can be controllably enhanced until the gully degeneracy is eventually lifted. The arising correlated ground state is consistent with a previously predicted nematic phase that spontaneously breaks the rotational gully symmetry.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Spin-orbit driven ferromagnetism at half moiré filling in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene

Strong electron correlation and spin-orbit coupling (SOC) provide two non-trivial threads to condensed matter physics. When these two strands of physics come together, a plethora of quantum phenomena with novel topological order have been predicted to emerge in the correlated SOC regime. In this work, we examine the combined influence of electron correlation and SOC on a 2-dimensional (2D) electronic system at the atomic interface between magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene (tBLG) and a tungsten diselenide (\WSe) crystal. In such a structure, strong electron correlation within the moiré flatband stabilizes correlated insulating states at both quarter and half-filling, whereas SOC transforms these Mott-like insulators into ferromagnets, evidenced by robust anomalous Hall effect with hysteretic switching behavior. The coupling between spin and valley degrees of freedom is unambiguously demonstrated as the magnetic order is shown to be tunable with an in-plane magnetic field, or a perpendicular electric field. In addition, we examine the influence of SOC on the isospin order and stability of superconductivity. Our findings establish an efficient experimental knob to engineer topological properties of moiré bands in twisted bilayer graphene and related systems.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Spin-valley relaxation dynamics of Landau-quantized electrons in MoSe$_2$ monolayer

Non-equilibrium dynamics of strongly correlated systems constitutes a fascinating problem of condensed matter physics with many open questions. Here we investigate the relaxation dynamics of Landau-quantized electron system into spin-valley polarized ground state in a gate-tunable MoSe$_2$ monolayer subjected to a strong magnetic field. The system is driven out of equilibrium with optically injected excitons that depolarize the electron spins and the subsequent electron spin-valley relaxation is probed in time-resolved experiments. We demonstrate that the relaxation rate at millikelvin temperatures sensitively depends on the Landau level filling factor: it becomes faster whenever the electrons form an integer quantum Hall liquid and slows down appreciably at non-integer fillings. Our findings evidence that valley relaxation dynamics may be used as a tool to investigate the interplay between the effects of disorder and strong interactions in the electronic ground state.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Observation of ballistic upstream modes at fractional quantum Hall edges of graphene

The structure of edge modes at the boundary of quantum Hall (QH) phases forms the basis for understanding low energy transport properties. In particular, the presence of ``upstream'' modes, moving against the direction of charge current flow, is critical for the emergence of renormalized modes with exotic quantum statistics. Detection of excess noise at the edge is a smoking gun for the presence of upstream modes. Here we report on noise measurements at the edges of fractional QH (FQH) phases realized in dual graphite-gated bilayer graphene devices. A noiseless dc current is injected at one of the edge contacts, and the noise generated at contacts at $L= 4\,μ$m or $10\,μ$m away along the upstream direction is studied. For integer and particle-like FQH states, no detectable noise is measured. By contrast, for ``hole-conjugate'' FQH states, we detect a strong noise proportional to the injected current, unambiguously proving the existence of upstream modes. The noise magnitude remaining independent of length together with a remarkable agreement with our theoretical analysis demonstrates the ballistic nature of upstream energy transport, quite distinct from the diffusive propagation reported earlier in GaAs-based systems. Our investigation opens the door to the study of upstream transport in more complex geometries and in edges of non-Abelian phases in graphene.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Quantum Hall valley splitters and tunable Mach-Zehnder interferometer in graphene

Graphene is a very promising test-bed for the field of electron quantum optics. However, a fully tunable and coherent electronic beam splitter is still missing. We report the demonstration of electronic beam splitters in graphene that couple quantum Hall edge channels having opposite valley polarizations. The electronic transmission of our beam splitters can be tuned from zero to near unity. By independently setting the beam splitters at the two corners of a graphene PN junction to intermediate transmissions, we realize a fully tunable electronic Mach-Zehnder interferometer. This tunability allows us to unambiguously identify the quantum interferences due to the Mach-Zehnder interferometer, and to study their dependence with the beam-splitter transmission and the interferometer bias voltage. The comparison with conventional semiconductor interferometers points towards universal processes driving the quantum decoherence in those two different 2D systems, with graphene being much more robust to their effect.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Nonlinear intensity dependence of terahertz edge photocurrents in graphene

We report on the observation of terahertz radiation induced edge photogalvanic currents in graphene, which are nonlinear in intensity. The increase of the radiation intensities up to MW/cm$^2$ results in a complex nonlinear intensity dependence of the photocurrent. The nonlinearity is controlled by the back gate voltage, temperature and radiation frequency. A microscopic theory of the nonlinear edge photocurrent is developed. Comparison of the experimental data and theory demonstrates that the nonlinearity of the photocurrent is caused by the interplay of two mechanisms, i.e. by direct inter-band optical transitions and Drude-like absorption. Both photocurrents saturate at high intensities, but have different intensity dependencies and saturation intensities. The total photocurrent shows a complex sign-alternating intensity dependence. The functional behaviour of the saturation intensities and amplitudes of both kinds of photogalvanic currents depending on gate voltages, temperature, radiation frequency and polarization is in a good agreement with the developed theory.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Strong interminivalley scattering in twisted bilayer graphene revealed by high-temperature magnetooscillations

Twisted bilayer graphene (TBG) provides an example of a system in which the interplay of interlayer interactions and superlattice structure impacts electron transport in a variety of non-trivial ways and gives rise to a plethora of interesting effects. Understanding the mechanisms of electron scattering in TBG has, however, proven challenging, raising many questions about the origins of resistivity in this system. Here we show that TBG exhibits high-temperature magnetooscillations originating from the scattering of charge carriers between TBG minivalleys. The amplitude of these oscillations reveals that interminivalley scattering is strong, and its characteristic time scale is comparable to that of its intraminivalley counterpart. Furthermore, by exploring the temperature dependence of these oscillations, we estimate the electron-electron collision rate in TBG and find that it exceeds that of monolayer graphene. Our study demonstrates the consequences of the relatively small size of the superlattice Brillouin zone and Fermi velocity reduction on lateral transport in TBG.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Unraveling intrinsic flexoelectricity in twisted double bilayer graphene

Moiré superlattices of two-dimensional (2D) materials with a small twist angle are thought to exhibit appreciable flexoelectric effect, though unambiguous confirmation of their flexoelectricity is challenging due to artifacts associated with commonly used piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM). For example, unexpectedly small phase contrast ($\sim$$8^{\circ}$) between opposite flexoelectric polarizations was reported in twisted bilayer graphene (tBG), though theoretically predicted value is $180^{\circ}$. Here we developed a methodology to extract intrinsic moiré flexoelectricity using twisted double bilayer graphene (tDBG) as a model system, probed by lateral PFM. For small twist angle samples, we found that a vectorial decomposition is essential to recover the small intrinsic flexoelectric response at domain walls from a large background signal. The obtained three-fold symmetry of commensurate domains with significant flexoelectric response at domain walls is fully consistent with our theoretical calculations. Incommensurate domains in tDBG with relatively large twist angles can also be observed by this technique. Our work provides a general strategy for unraveling intrinsic flexoelectricity in van der Waals moiré superlattices while providing insights into engineered symmetry breaking in centrosymmetric materials.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗