arXiv subjects

Kenji Watanabe

Publications and source records attributed to Kenji Watanabe.

At least 325 records · Page 18Linked to original sources

arXiv2026

In-Substrate Imaging of Diamond hBN FET Current via Widefield Quantum Diamond Microscopy

We demonstrate widefield magnetic imaging of current flow in hydrogen terminated diamond field effect transistors (FETs) through in-substrate nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers. Hydrogen termination of the diamond surface induces a two dimensional hole gas (2DHG), while an ensemble of near surface NV centers located $ \sim 1~μm$ below the surface enables noninvasive magnetic imaging of current flow with micrometer scale spatial resolution. The FETs were electrically characterized over a range of drain source biases $V_{ds}= 0$ to $-15V$ and gate voltages,$V_{gs}= +3$ to $-9V$ followed by in situ widefield NV magnetometry during device operation. Magnetic field maps and reconstructed current density distributions directly visualize current injection at the source drain contacts and transport beneath the hBN gated channel. Magnetic field maps reveal current density variations in the channel region owing to non-uniformities or defects in the gate dielectric. In addition, we observe a pronounced enhancement of the drain current ($\sim 600-900 μA$) and a shift in the apparent threshold voltage during laser illumination, reflecting photo induced changes in channel electrostatics. By correlating gate dependent magnetic images with simultaneous electrical measurements, we directly link spatial current distributions to FET transfer characteristics, providing new insight into buried interface transport and non-uniform gating effects in the transistor channel. As the methodology is compatible with top gated FETs, it can be used to map channel current distributions with micrometer resolution in emerging channel materials, such as 2D materials and wide bandgap channels, and establish widefield NV magnetometry as a powerful platform for probing charge transport in transistors and Van der Waals dielectric heterostructures.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2026

Spin-orbit-driven quarter semimetals in rhombohedral graphene

Semimetals exhibit intriguing characteristics attributed to the coexistence of both electrons and holes. In rhombohedral multilayer graphene, a strong trigonal warping effect gives rise to a semi-metallic state near the Fermi surface, offering unique opportunities to explore the interplay of semi-metallic properties with strong correlations and topologies. Here, the observation of quarter semimetals in rhombohedral multilayer graphene by introducing spin-orbit coupling (SOC) is reported. The semi-metallic characteristics of rhombohedral graphene manifest as nearly vanished Hall resistance and parabolic longitudinal resistance. The strong correlations arising from the surface flat band lead to spontaneous symmetry breaking. SOC proximitized by WSe2 further lifts the valley degeneracy, resulting in the spontaneous time-reversal symmetry breaking, as evidenced by the hysteretic anomalous Hall effect. The coexistence of fully polarized electrons and holes allows for the observation of a non-monotonic temperature dependence of the anomalous Hall resistance. Furthermore, the application of moderate magnetic fields induces a phase transition from quarter semimetals to Chern insulators. These findings establish rhombohedral multilayer graphene as an ideal platform for studying strong correlations and topologies in semimetals.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2026

Vortex-parity-controlled diode effect in Corbino topological Josephson junctions

Nonreciprocal supercurrents in Josephson junctions have recently emerged as a sensitive tool for investigating broken symmetries in superconducting quantum materials. Here, we report an even-odd Josephson diode effect (JDE) in Corbino-geometry junctions fabricated on the pristine surface of a bulk-insulating three-dimensional topological insulator (3DTI). We find that the diode polarity, which indicates the preferred direction of supercurrent flow, robustly alternates its sign depending on the parity (even or odd) of the enclosed vortex number. This behavior is absent in two key control devices: a non-topological graphene Corbino Josephson junction and a 3DTI-based linear Josephson junction. These results indicate that the polarity-tunable JDE is intrinsically linked to the unique combination of the proximitized topological superconductivity in the 3DTI surface and the Corbino device's closed-loop geometry. Our theoretical modeling attributes the observed sign change in diode polarity to the alternating sign of periodic boundary conditions in topological superconductors, supporting the interpretation that the vortex-parity-controlled JDE is a direct manifestation of the underlying Andreev bound state topology associated with the presence of non-Abelian anyons in the vortices.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2026

Zero-phonon line emission of single photon emitters in helium-ion treated MoS$_2$

We explore the zero-phonon line of single photon emitters in helium-ion treated monolayer MoS$_2$, which are currently understood in terms of single sulfur-site vacancies. By comparing the linewidths of the zero-phonon line as extracted directly from optical spectra with values inferred from the first-order autocorrelation function of the photoluminescence, we quantify bounds of the homogeneous broadening and of phonon-assisted contributions. The results are discussed in terms of both the independent boson model and ab-initio results as computed from GW and Bethe-Salpeter equation approximations.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2026

Forbidden second harmonics in centrosymmetric bilayer crystals

Optical spectroscopy based on second-order nonlinearity is a critical technique for characterizing two-dimensional (2D) crystals as well as bioimaging and quantum optics. It is generally believed that second-harmonic generation (SHG) in centrosymmetric crystals, such as graphene and other bilayer 2D crystals, is negligible without externally breaking the inversion symmetry. Here, we show that with a new homodyne detection technique, we can apparently circumvent this symmetry-imposed constraint and observe robust SHG in pristine centrosymmetric crystals, without any symmetry-breaking field. With its exceptional sensitivity, we resolve polarization-resolved SHG in bilayer hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), bilayer 2H-WSe$_2$, and remarkably, Bernal-stacked bilayer graphene, allowing us to unambiguously identify the crystallographic orientation in these crystals via SHG for the first time. We also demonstrate that the new technique can be used to non-invasively detect uniaxial strain and optical geometric phase in these crystals. The observed SHG in our experiments is attributed to second-order nonlinearity in the quadrupole channel, which is controlled by the presence of the $C_2$ symmetry instead of the inversion symmetry. Our new technique expands the capability of nonlinear optical spectroscopy to encompass a large class of centrosymmetric materials that could never be measured before, and can be used for quantum sensing of moiré materials and twisted epitaxial films.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2026

Pervasive spin-triplet superconductivity in rhombohedral graphene

Magnetic fields typically suppress superconductivity once the Zeeman energy exceeds the pairing gap, unless mechanisms such as unconventional pairing, strong spin-orbit coupling, or intrinsic magnetism intervene. Several graphene platforms realize such mitigating routes, exhibiting superconductivity resilient to magnetic fields. Here we report superconductivity in rhombohedral heptalayer graphene that is both induced and stabilized by in-plane magnetic field ($B_{\parallel}$), with critical fields far beyond the Pauli paramagnetic limit. The superconductivity spans a wide gate range and emerges from a sharp zero-field resistive ridge that tracks approximately constant conduction band filling. The presence of zero-field superconductivity and the evolution of the critical temperature with $B_{\parallel}$ are highly gate sensitive. We also observe a weak superconducting diode effect in several distinct regimes within the superconducting phase, including nearby to an integer quantum anomalous Hall state generated by a boron nitride moiré superlattice, indicating a potential coexistence of valley imbalance and superconductivity. These results establish several intriguing new properties of spin-triplet, field-induced superconductivity in a thick rhombohedral graphene stack.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2026

High-Energy Interlayer Exciton Ensembles in MoSe$_2$/WSe$_2$ Heterostructures by Laguerre-Gaussian Excitation

We reveal the higher energetic luminescence part of interlayer exciton ensembles in MoSe$_2$/WSe$_2$ heterostructures upon excitation by an optical Laguerre-Gaussian mode. The excitation is achieved with the help of a spatial light modulator giving rise to a ring-shaped distribution of interlayer excitons. A hyperspectral analysis of the exciton photoluminescence suggests that the excitation scheme allows the accumulation of high-energetic excitons in the rings' center. We discuss the mechanisms leading to such a distribution, including exciton-exciton interaction, phase-space filling, and an incomplete thermalization.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2026

Quantized heat flow in the Hofstadter butterfly

When subjected to a strong magnetic field, electrons on a two-dimensional lattice acquire a fractal energy spectrum called Hofstadter's butterfly. In addition to its unique recursive structure, the Hofstadter butterfly is intimately linked to non-trivial topological orders, hosting a cascade of ground states characterized by non-zero topological invariants. These states, called Chern insulators, are usually understood as replicas of the ground states of the quantum Hall effect, with electrical and thermal conductances that should be quantized, reflecting their topological order. The Hofstadter butterfly is now commonly observed in van-der-Waals heterostructures-based moiré superlattices. However, its thermal properties, particularly the quantized heat flow expected in the Chern insulators, have not been investigated, potentially questioning their similarity with standard quantum Hall states. Here we probe the heat transport properties of the Hofstadter butterfly, obtained in a graphene~/~hexagonal boron nitride moiré superlattice. We observe a quantized heat flow, uniquely set by the topological invariant, for all investigated states of the Hofstadter butterfly: quantum Hall states, Chern insulators, and even symmetry-broken Chern insulators emerging from strong electronic interactions. Our work firmly establishes the universality of the quantization of heat transport and its intimate link with topology.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2026

Programmable Quantum Anomalous Hall Insulator in Twisted Crystalline Flatbands

The isospin flavors in condensed matters can be continuously broken, forming various symmetry-broken quantum states. In moiré crystals, the competition between different isospin configurations can be effectively tuned by the twist angles and staciking orders. Here we report twisted double rhombohedral-trilayer-gaphene as a new twisted crystalline flatbands system showing rich moiré dependent topological phenomena. In devices with small twist angles, programmable Chern insulators with Chern number C = 3 at integer moiré filling v = 1 have been observed. We have further revealed an exotic hidden order which can quench the Chern insulator as well as multiple first-order transitions between different symmetry-broken phases. Interestly, in the device with a slightly larger twist angle, multiple Chern insulators with C = 1 at fractional moiré fillings including v = 1/4, 1/3 and 1/2 have been observed, whereas the Chern insulator at v = 1 is abscent. Our study demonstrated the twisted flatbands form rhombohedral-multilayer-graphene as a new platform to study tunable high Chern insulators as well as new devices for quantum storage and computation.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2026

Magnetic Field-Enhanced Graphene Superconductivity with Record Pauli-Limit Violation

Spin-polarized superconductors offer a rare platform for studying electronic correlations, but few candidate systems have been experimentally confirmed to date. Here, we report the observation of a spin-polarized superconducting state, denoted SC5, in WSe2-proximitized rhombohedral trilayer graphene. At in-plane magnetic field B|| = 0 T, SC5 has a critical temperature of 68 mK and an out-of-plane critical magnetic field of only 12 mT. Surprisingly, these values are significantly enhanced as B|| increases, and the superconductivity persists to B|| = 8.8 T. This value corresponds to a record-high Pauli-limit violation ratio of at least 80 among all superconductors, while the true critical field is beyond the limit of our instrument. We conclude that SC5 experiences a canting crossover from Ising-type to spin-polarized superconductor with increased B||.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2026

Signatures of moiré intralayer biexcitons and exciton-phason coupling in WSe2/WS2 heterostructures

Interactions among electronic and lattice degrees-of-freedom are foundational to various phases in condensed-matter physics, yet the dynamic interplay between excitonic and phononic quasiparticles represents an equivalent, underexplored frontier. Moiré superlattices provide an ideal platform for realizing these interactions by offering localized intralayer excitons (IALX) and ultralow-energy collective lattice modes, such as phasons. Here, by optically suppressing ultrafast charge-transfer (CT) to interlayer excitons in WSe2/WS2 heterostructures, we uncover dynamics of moiré IALX revealing long lifetimes (τ > 1000 ps) arising from localized Wannier and in-plane CT nature. We then observe moiré intralayer intervalley biexcitons with binding energy ~ 16 meV, with long lifetimes due to moiré confinement. Furthermore, we find time-domain signatures of strong coupling between moiré-IALX and ~ 10 micro-eV phasons, evidenced as twist-angle-dependent GHz oscillations in IALX dynamics. Our findings establish moiré superlattices as interacting hybrid quantum systems and for engineering non-equilibrium phenomena, as well as for GHz-scale optoelectronics.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2026

Kinetic Inductance of Few-Layer NbSe$_2$ in the Two-Dimensional Limit

Van der Waals (vdW) superconductors remain superconducting down to the monolayer limit, enabling the exploration of emergent physical phenomena and functionality driven by reduced dimensionality. Here, we report the characterization of the kinetic inductance of atomically thin NbSe$_2$, a two-dimensional van der Waals superconductor, using superconducting coplanar waveguides and microwave measurement techniques familiar to circuit quantum electrodynamics (cQED). The kinetic inductance scales inversely with the number of NbSe$_2$ layers, reaching 1.2 nH/$\Box$ in the monolayer limit. Furthermore, the measured kinetic inductance exhibits a thickness-dependent crossover from clean- to dirty-limit behavior, with enhanced dirty-limit contributions emerging in the ultra-thin regime. These effects are likely driven by increased surface scattering, multi-band superconductivity, and geometric confinement. Additionally, the self-Kerr nonlinearity of the NbSe$_2$ films ranges from $K/2π$ = -0.008 to -14.7 Hz/photon, indicating its strong potential in applications requiring compact, nearly linear, high-inductance superconducting quantum devices and detectors. The fabrication and characterization techniques demonstrated here are extensible to the investigation of other two-dimensional superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2025

Modulation of quantum geometry and its coupling to pseudo-electric field by dynamic strain

Two-dimensional materials are a fertile ground for exploring quantum geometric phenomena, with Berry curvature and its first moment, the Berry curvature dipole, playing a central role in their electronic response. These geometric properties influence electronic transport and result in the anomalous and nonlinear Hall effects, and are typically controlled using static electric fields or strain. However, the possibility of modulating quantum geometric quantities in real-time remains unexplored. Here, we demonstrate the dynamic modulation of Berry curvature and its moments, as well as the generation of a pseudo-electric field using time-dependent strain. By placing heterostructures on a membrane, we introduce oscillatory strain together with an in-plane AC electric field and measure Hall signals that are modulated at linear combinations of the frequencies of strain and electric field. Our measurements reveal modulation of Berry curvature and its first moment. Notably, we provide direct experimental evidence of pseudo-electric field that results in an unusual dynamic strain-induced Hall response. This approach opens up a new pathway for controlling quantum geometry on demand, moving beyond conventional static perturbations. The pseudo-electric field provides a framework for external electric field-free anomalous Hall response and opens new avenues for probing the topological properties.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Magnetic-Field-Driven Insulator-Superconductor Transition in Rhombohedral Graphene

Recent studies of rhombohedral multilayer graphene (RMG) have revealed a variety of superconducting states that can be induced or enhanced by magnetic fields, reinforcing RMG as a powerful platform for investigating novel superconductivity. Here we report an insulator-superconductor transition driven by in-plane magnetic fields B|| in rhombohedral hexalayer graphene. The upper critical in-plane field of 2T violates the Pauli limit, and an analysis based on isospin symmetry breaking supports a spin-polarized superconductor. At in-plane B = 0, such spin-polarized superconductor transitions into an insulator, exhibiting a thermally activated gap of 0.1 meV. In addition, we observe four superconducting states in the hole-doped regime, as well as phases with orbital multiferroicity near charge neutrality point. These findings substantially enrich the phase diagram of rhombohedral graphene and provide new insight into the microscopic mechanisms of superconductivity

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2025

Entangled Moire Chern Insulator in Rhombohedral Graphene

Graphene-based moire superlattices exhibit novel quantum phenomena driven by pronounced interactions, leading to topological corrected states like orbital Chern insulators exhibiting quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE). Typically, intrinsic Chern insulators are stabilized at odd moiré fillings, as even fillings often result in valley-balanced, topologically trivial states at zero magnetic field. In our work, we report the observation of an intrinsic Chern insulator with C = 1 state at moire filling v = 2 in rhombohedral octalayer graphene (R8G)/hBN moire superlattice. Observing such Chern insulators in particular with C = 1 at v = 2 is intriguing, as each moiré band carries Chern number C = 1 or -1. We further demonstrate such a state can originate from the entanglement between the low-energy moire flat bands and high-energy remote bands according to the Hartree-Fock calculation. Our findings extend the known topological phase diagram of rhombohedral multilayer graphene (RMG) moire systems and establish this platform as highly promising for investigating strong electron correlations and multiband hybridized transport.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Orbitally tuned composite-fermion metal-to-superfluid transitions

The effective interaction between composite fermions, set entirely by the Coulomb potential and the underlying electronic Landau level orbitals, can stabilize exotic fractional quantum Hall states. In particular, half-filled Landau levels with different orbital character can host either metallic or paired phases of composite fermions. Here, we leverage experimental control over the orbital composition to realize a composite-fermion pairing transition in the first excited Landau level of bilayer graphene. Transport measurements at filling factors v = 9/2 and 11/2 reveal conductive states giving way to well-developed plateaus with increasing displacement fields. These states are insensitive to an in-plane magnetic field, indicating single-component ground states and thus pointing at non-Abelian orders. Our numerical study, based on displacement-field-dependent Landau-level wavefunctions, supports the orbital origin of the pairing transition and suggests Moore-Read or anti-Pfaffian ground states.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Evidence of Mott Insulator with Thermally Induced Melting Behavior in Kagome Compound Nb3Cl8

The kagome lattice provides a playground to explore novel correlated quantum states due to the presence of flat bands in its electronic structure. Recently discovered layered kagome compound Nb3Cl8 has been proposed as a Mott insulator coming from the half-filled flat band. Here we have carried out systematic transport study to uncover the evidence of Mott insulator in Nb3Cl8 thin flakes. Bipolar semiconducting property with Fermi level close to conduction band has been revealed. We have further probed the chemical potential of Nb3Cl8 by tracing the charge neutrality point of the monolayer graphene proximate to Nb3Cl8. The gap of Nb3Cl8 flakes is approximately 1.10 eV at 100 K and shows pronounced temperature dependence, decreasing substantially with increasing temperature to ~0.63 eV at 300 K. The melting behavior of the gapped state is in consistent with theoretically proposed Mott insulator in Nb3Cl8. Our work has demonstrated Nb3Cl8 as a promising platform to study strongly correlated physics at relatively high temperature.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Observation of Integer and Fractional Chern insulators in high Chern number flatbands

Moiré flatbands with high Chern numbers (C>1) offer opportunities to study the fractional quantum anomalous Hall effects that go beyond the Landau level paradigm with C=1, which remain unexplored yet. Here, we target the novel topological phases in high Chern number flatbands by designing a new moiré system, i.e., twisted rhombohedral trilayer-bilayer graphene. We observe quantized anomalous Hall effects (QAH) with C = 3 at v = 1 and v = 3, demonstrating the high Chern number nature of the flat band from continuum calculations. By fractionally filling the flat band, we observe QAH with C = 2 at even-denominator fractional filling v = 3/2, as well as QAH with C = 3 continuously from v = 1 to the even-denominator v = 3/2 at zero magnetic fields. Most importantly, we observe, for the first time, evidence of an FCI with C = -6/5 at v = 12/5, corresponding to 2/5 filling of a high Chern number flat band with C = -3, verified by both Streda formula analysis and a fractionally QAH. It is also worth noting that Streda formula analysis reveals a signature of another FCI with C = -3/2 at v = 5/2 under finite magnetic fields. Our results demonstrate the tRTBG, which can be naturally extended to other twisted graphene moiré superlattices based on rhombohedral graphene multilayers, as a novel platform for hosting unconventional high Chern number correlated topology in the ultra-strong correlated regime that is beyond the paradigm of fractional phases with C < 1.

cond-mat.str-el↗