arXiv subjects

Takashi Taniguchi

Publications and source records attributed to Takashi Taniguchi.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Measuring vacancy-type defect density in monolayer semiconductors

Two-dimensional (2D) materials have attracted wide-spread interest due to their unique and tunable properties. Their optoelectronic, mechanical, and thermal properties are greatly influenced by crystal defects, which are, in turn, used to control these properties. However, experimental quantification of the density of defects, whether deliberately introduced or inherent, is very difficult in these atomically thin materials. Here we show that helium atom micro-diffraction can be used to measure the defect density in ~15x20um monolayer MoS2, a prototypical 2D semiconductor, quickly and easily compared to standard methods. We present a simple analytic model, the lattice gas equation, that captures the relationship between atomic Bragg diffraction intensity and defect density. The model, combined with ab initio scattering calculations, shows that our technique can immediately be applied to a wide range of 2D materials, independent of sample chemistry or structure. Additionally, wafer-scale characterization is immediately possible.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2026

Spatially resolved quantum magnetometry and stray-field reconstruction of permalloy microdisks using boron-vacancy centers in hexagonal boron nitride

Transferable hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) hosting negatively charged boron-vacancy (VB$^{-}$) spin defects offers a versatile platform for integrated quantum magnetometry, yet quantitative imaging of magnetic microstructures remains challenging. Here, we integrate a transferred hBN flake with a 4 $μ$m-diameter permalloy (Py = Ni${81}$Fe${19}$) microdisk and perform spatially resolved optically detected magnetic resonance measurements at room temperature. An applied in-plane magnetic field distorts the vortex-state magnetization, generating edge-localized magnetic surface charges and pronounced stray-field signatures at opposite disk edges. By referencing each pixel to its local zero-field splitting and correcting for a residual out-of-plane bias field, we quantitatively reconstruct the out-of-plane stray-field distribution, revealing peak fields of approximately 11.2 mT. An edge-charge model reproduces the spatial distribution and amplitude of the reconstructed field, linking the ODMR response to the field-driven evolution of the vortex state. These results establish transferred hBN VB$^{-}$ sensors for quantitative magnetometry of magnetic microstructures.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2026

Ultralow-Tensile Strain Enables Exciton Funneling and Energy Transfer to Boost MoSe2 Photoluminescence Quantum Yield

Strain engineering is a powerful route for controlling the exciton dynamics in van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures (HSs). The interlayer energy transfer (ET) process is another key factor in controlling the photocarrier relaxation pathways in vdW HSs. In this work, we combine these two processes to achieve an 8-fold enhancement to the relative photoluminescence (PL) quantum yield (QY) in a HS formed from monolayers of ReS2 and MoSe2, separated by a thin hBN interlayer, placed onto an hBN bubble. We achieve this enhancement by applying only 0.1% biaxial tensile strain, which results in efficient exciton funneling and an increased transition dipole moment. Our experimental data are supported by first-principles density-functional theory and coherent transfer-matrix method calculations, ruling out optical interference as the dominant origin of the enhancement. This work provides an innovative route for enhancing the PL QY of vdW materials via interplay between the tensile strain and the ET process.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2026

An All-van-der-Waals Qubit

Advances in solid-state physics, materials science, and device engineering have accelerated the development of superconducting qubits. Among emerging platforms, van der Waals (vdW) materials and their heterostructures are potentially attractive building blocks for quantum devices, yet their realization in qubit architectures remains largely underexplored. Here we report an all-vdW superconducting qubit based on a NbSe$_2$-hBN-NbSe$_2$ junction, in which a thin hBN layer simultaneously provides Josephson coupling and capacitive shunting between two NbSe$_2$ islands, forming a "merged-element" transmon. Temporal characterization using circuit quantum electrodynamics (cQED) techniques yields an average energy-relaxation time $T_{1,\mathrm{avg}} = 55 ~μs$, Hahn-echo coherence time $T_{2\mathrm{E},\mathrm{avg}} = 21 ~μs$, and Ramsey coherence time $T_{2\mathrm{R},\mathrm{avg}} = 1.9~μs$. The relatively low Ramsey time is primarily attributable to an enhanced sensitivity to charge noise consistent with the realized device parameters and not a fundamental limitation. These results show that lumped-element superconducting qubits based on vdW heterostructures can achieve coherence times comparable to those of conventional Al-AlO$_\mathrm{x}$-Al qubits, while offering a reduced device footprint and suppressed stray capacitive coupling.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Enhanced Emission and Two-Photon Interference of Lead-Vacancy Centers in Diamond Solid Immersion Lenses

A negatively charged lead-vacancy (PbV-) center in diamond is a novel quantum system which can be operated at a high temperature above 4 K owing to its large ground state splitting. To unlock the quantum properties of the PbV- center, the enhancement of the fluorescence intensity is a key issue. Here, we demonstrate enhanced emission from PbV- centers by a factor of approximately 10 using solid immersion lenses (SILs) fabricated on rough diamond surface caused by high-temperature anneal over 2000°C. Resonant excitation reveals the narrow emission close to the transform-limited linewidth. Furthermore, we demonstrate two-photon interference using one single PbV- center in an SIL. This enhanced emission and indistinguishability will lead to further development of the PbV- center towards quantum network node applications.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

In-plane and out-of-plane magnetic field driven Josephson diode effect in magic-angle twisted four-layer graphene

The superconducting diode effect offers a powerful probe into the fundamental symmetries of quantum materials. Recent studies on twisted graphene diodes have predominantly focused on bilayer or trilayer systems under out-of-plane magnetic fields. Here, we demonstrate both out-of-plane and in-plane driven Josephson diode effects in a magic-angle twisted four-layer graphene junction, i.e., an even number of layers. We observe the emergence of a diode effect at zero out-of-plane field, tuned by an increasing in-plane magnetic field. This result points to the presence of strong in-plane orbital coupling, which is highly sensitive to the specific layer parity of the structure. Our findings provide experimental insights into the symmetry-breaking mechanisms of even-layer twisted graphene, establishing in-plane magnetic fields as a vital tool for unravelling their microscopic properties.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2026

Probing proximity-induced superconductivity in bilayer graphene using gate-defined quantum dots

Van der Waals heterostructures offer a direct way of combining two-dimensional (2D) materials with different electronic properties, such as 2D semiconductors, metals, and superconductors, in a single device. Bilayer graphene (BLG) is particularly attractive in this context, as its electrically tunable band gap enables local control of tunnel barriers and quantum dots. Here, we realize an all-2D hybrid platform based on BLG proximitized by superconducting NbSe$_2$. Using local electrostatic gates, we define tunnel barriers and quantum dots at different distances from the lateral superconductor-semiconductor interface. The quantum dots serve as local spectroscopic probes of the proximitized BLG channel segment, forming tunable superconductor-quantum dot-normal conductor junction devices. Coulomb blockade and finite-bias spectroscopy reveal a proximity-induced superconducting gap of up to $80\,\mathrm{μeV}$ and allow to track its evolution with increasing distance from the NbSe$_2$ contact. We find that the local density of states remains suppressed over distances exceeding 1 $μ$m, consistent with superconducting proximity through a highly ballistic BLG channel. Our results show that BLG-superconductor hybrids offer a controllable platform where quantum dots and quantum point contacts can be well combined with superconductivity.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2026

Layer- and Field-Dependent Magnetic Order in 2D CrSBr Revealed by Pulsed Nanocalorimetry

Understanding the evolution of magnetic order in the two-dimensional limit remains a central challenge in van der Waals magnets, where thermodynamic measurements are constrained by the femtogram-scale mass of exfoliated flakes. Here, microsecond pulse-heating nanocalorimetry is used to measure the heat capacity and magnetic entropy of CrSBr flakes down to the monolayer limit. The measurements reveal the entropy landscape associated with magnetic ordering, uncovering a decreasing interlayer transition temperature toward the monolayer limit and an entropy-derived effective moment per layer that increases with thickness toward the expected spin-only scale. Thermodynamic anomalies capture a crossover from bulk-like interlayer antiferromagnetism to a regime dominated by intralayer ferromagnetic correlations. A pronounced layer-parity effect further emerges, with odd-layer samples displaying an additional high-temperature contribution associated with uncompensated magnetic layers. Under in-plane magnetic fields applied along the easy axis, antiferromagnetic order is progressively suppressed, allowing extraction of a thickness-dependent characteristic suppression field reflecting weakened interlayer exchange coupling. Entropy analysis further reveals an extended regime of magnetic fluctuations persisting well above the interlayer ordering transition. Together, these results establish nanocalorimetry as a powerful thermodynamic probe of low-dimensional magnetism, providing direct access to magnetic entropy, exchange interactions, and dimensional crossover in atomically thin van der Waals magnets.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2026

Spin-polarized Superconductivity and High-Chern Insulators in Twisted Rhombohedral Graphene Family

Rhombohedral multilayer graphene has emerged as a remarkably versatile platform for exploring strong correlation driven quantum states arising from low-energy topological flat bands. When reconstructed by the moire superlattice, these bands host a wide range of emergent novel states, including integer and fractional Chern insulators and unconventional superconductivity. Here, we firstly report the simultaneous emergence of widespread spin polarized SC and high Chern insulators in twisted bilayer multilayer RMG system 2+n where n=4,5,6. The SC states in 2+n system exhibit different responses to the in plane magnetic field, with SC being suppressed, enhanced and induced by in plane magnetic field . The latter two are consistent with spin-triplet pairing. Along with SC, angle and layer dependent HCIs with tunable Chern numbers emerge. Moreover, the fractional high Chern insulator in the system survives under high in plane magnetic field which can induce SC in the same device. Our work not only establishs twisted bilayer multilayer rhombohedral graphene as a unified platform for studying SC and high Chern insulators, but also opens a pathway towards multiple copropagating chiral Majorana channels by coupling spin-polarized SC to high Chern insulators.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2026

Visualizing Chiral Edge Modes in Twisted Cuprate Superconductors via Scanning-Probe Quantum Sensing

Recently, unconventional superconductivity hosted by twisted van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures has received immense interest due to the exotic pairing symmetry, electronic interactions and nontrivial topological nature that are naturally relevant to the fast-advancing quantum technologies. Here, we report scanning-probe quantum sensing of nanoscale electromagnetic behaviors of twisted vdW cuprate superconductors. Using single-spin relaxometry, we directly visualize edge modes spontaneously formed in twisted Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x (BSCCO). By investigating temperature dependent variations of edge-state-induced quantum spin relaxation, we experimentally evaluate the magnitude of nontrivial topological band gap opened at nodal points in twisted BSCCO and its critical temperature behaviors under different twist angles. We further observe alternating chiral domains defined by edge modes, exploring experimental signatures of in-plane magnetic field-induced topology in 45° twisted BSCCO. Our results advance the current understanding of twisted vdW nodal superconductors, presenting an appealing high-temperature topological superconducting material platform for cutting-edge quantum innovation.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2026

Non-universal localization transition in the quantum Hall effect probed through broken-symmetry states of graphene

The quantum Hall effect hosts quantum phase transitions in which the localization length, that is the size of disorder-induced bulk localized states, is governed by universal scaling from percolation theory. However, this universal character is not systematically observed in experiments, including very recent ones in extremely clean devices. Here we explore this non-universality by systematically measuring the localization length in broken-symmetry quantum Hall states of graphene. Depending on the nature and gap size of these states, we observe differences of up to a tenfold in the minimum localization length, accompanied by clear deviations from universal scaling. Our results, as well as the previously observed non-universality, are fully captured by a simple picture based on the co-existence of localized states from two successive sub-Landau levels.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2026

A substrate booster for P-type 2D ferromagnetic semiconductor

Spin transistors with its both charge and spin properties tuned via electrostatic gating are believed capable for widespread use, which however have proven challenging due to the extreme rareness of their physical base -- magnetic semiconductors. The latter are limited within very few systems including diluted magnetic semiconductors (DMS) and two-dimensional ferromagnetic semiconductors (2D-FMS), and known to suffer from inadequate gate-tunability of their electric and/or magnetic properties. Here, we show a substrate engineering paradigm by interfacing few-layered Cr$_{2}$Ge$_{2}$Te$_{6}$ (FL-CGT) with an antiferromagnetic insulator CrOCl. Owing to the subtle interfacial charge transfer couplings, CGT can be drastically turned from an ambipolar semiconductor into a high performance P-type semiconductor. When cooled below the Curie temperature, the ON-OFF ratio in such substrate-boosted FMS field-effect transistor (FET) reaches 10$^{5}$ with its coercive field $H_{c}$ of magnetic hysteresis loop tunable by a factor of more than 200$\%$, enabling {gate-assisted magnetic switching in the prototype semiconducting spin transistor architecture}. A crossover from critical power-law scaling to a dual power-law behaviour under heavy hole doping was further observed. Our findings {signify} an efficient interfacial charge transfer and electrically modulated magnetic anisotropy energy supported by calculations. This high performance P-type FMS-FET system suggests that active substrate-boosting paradigm might be a powerful path for the investigation of future gate-tunable spintronic devices.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2026

Hilbert-space selected switch of helical edges in an artificial quantum Hall insulator

Quantum Hall effects (QHE) host one-dimensional topologically-protected edge channels, which can serve as an essential ingredient in exotic quantum electronic systems. Yet the manual reconstruction of Landau-level topology, by electrostatic confinement or symmetry breaking, remains experimentally challenging. Here, we show that interfacial charge transfer in between CrOCl and large-angle twisted bilayer graphene offsets the two otherwise decoupled Dirac Landau-level ladders in each graphene layer, creating a new sequence of composite filling configurations. At charge neutrality, the composited $(+2,-2)$ state involves only the zeroth Landau levels and becomes fully insulating, with longitudinal resistance reaching the G$Ω$ regime. By contrast, higher composite zero-filling quantum Hall states, including $(+6,-6)$ and $(+10,-10)$, retain counter-propagating helical edge channels and exhibit pronounced non-local transport, reaching up to $50\%$ of the local response. We attribute such switching-behavior to the Landau-spinor Hilbert space -- as the filling is reduced from $(+6,-6)$ to $(+2,-2)$, the orthogonal $N=\pm1$ orbital components are removed, eliminating the edge-compatible channel and gapping both bulk and boundary transport. The interaction nature of the observed gapped sates was further examined both experimentally and theoretically. Our results suggest that charge transfer provides a direct route to engineer artificial quantum Hall insulators, opening possibilities for wavefunction-selective control of helical edge modes.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2026

Real-space Visualization of Emergent Electron Crystals in Rhombohedral Graphene

Strongly interacting electrons can spontaneously break spatial symmetries to form electron crystals, exemplified by the Wigner crystal. Recent studies of topological flat bands in rhombohedral graphene have suggested more exotic forms of crystallization, including anomalous Hall crystals that entangle charge order with nontrivial topology and metallic electron crystals in which localized and itinerant carriers coexist. Direct real-space observation of these states, however, has remained elusive. Here we use scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy to visualize emergent electron crystals in rhombohedral hexalayer graphene. At low electric fields and over a finite range of hole doping, we observe electronic lattice patterns that evolve from honeycomb to oblique order through a first-order quantum phase transition with increasing hole density. The Fermi surface extracted from quasiparticle-interference measurements lacks the geometry needed to account for these patterns through conventional nesting. Together with metallic transport and a crystal-site density much lower than the doped carrier density, this supports metallic electron crystals in which a subset of carriers crystallizes. The honeycomb crystal occupies the same phase space as the multiferroic orbital magnetism observed previously in transport and exhibits domain stabilization by a small magnetic field, which may suggest a possible metallic anomalous Hall crystal. With increasing magnetic field, the oblique phase develops a $\sqrt{2}\times\sqrt{2}$ reconstruction with a crystal-sublattice energy splitting that increases linearly with field, corresponding to a $g$-factor of 16. This may reflect an orbital-antiferromagnetic electron crystal with alternating orbital magnetization across the lattice. These results establish a new paradigm of electron crystallization in which charge order is intertwined with orbital magnetism.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2026

Facile hBN-hBN Interfacial Overlap Engineering for Enhanced Quantum Emitter Formation

Quantum emitters in two-dimensional materials, particularly hBN, are promising platforms for quantum technologies. However, achieving high-density emitters at predetermined locations while preserving optical quality remains challenging. Here, we introduce a facile, cost-effective double-layer all-dry transfer approach to deterministically create overlap regions between hBN flakes. These pre-defined capped regions exhibit a significantly enhanced emitter density, with up to a 15-fold increase compared to uncapped areas. Importantly, this method does not compromise emitter quality: emitters within overlap regions demonstrate excellent optical performance, including high signal-to-background and signal-to-noise ratios, large Debye-Waller factors, high brightness, and strong spectral stability. Possible defect configurations are also discussed to contextualize the observed emission characteristics. This scalable strategy enables preferential formation of quantum emitters in targeted regions, achieving higher densities than simple treatments such as plasma irradiation while avoiding the complexity of advanced fabrication techniques. The approach provides a practical pathway for integrating high-quality quantum emitters into scalable quantum photonic platforms.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2026

Dimensional Control of Excitonic Interactions in Exfoliated 2D Molecular Crystals

Two-dimensional (2D) materials provide unique opportunities to tailor excited-state properties through reduced dimensionality, altered dielectric screening and layer-dependent structural reconstruction. While such effects have been widely explored in norganic systems, their realization in molecular crystals has been limited by the difficulty of controlling thickness at the atomic scale while preserving crystalline order. Here we show that tetracene and three other molecular crystals can be mechanically exfoliated into mono-, few- or multilayer flakes, while retaining crystalline order. This capability enables new studies of molecular crystals across a well defined thickness range within the same structural organization. Thickness-dependent spectra of these samples reveal how out-of-plane confinement modifies the excited-state energy landscape of tetracene: With decreasing thickness, the Davydov splitting diminishes, the Stokes shift increases, and signatures of more delocalized excitons emerge. Electron diffraction and exciton model-based analyses correlate these trends to changes in molecular packing, intermolecular coupling and dielectric screening. Our results also demonstrate that key features of molecular excitons can be systematically tuned by layer number, extending dimensional control from inorganic 2D materials to molecular crystals.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2026

Quantum Phase Transitions and Fractional Quantized Anomalous Hall Insulators in Rhombohedral Graphene

Fractional quantum anomalous Hall effect (FQAHE) has been discovered in twisted MoTe$_2$ and rhombohedral graphene/hBN moiré superlattices. Such van der Waals heterostructures feature a tuning knob of gate displacement field $D$, which is absent from the conventional fractional quantum Hall systems in two-dimensional electron gases. $D$ plays a critical role in engineering FQAHE and other emergent quantum states and provides an exciting new opportunity to explore their quantum phase transitions. However, the microscopic details of such transitions and temperature-dependent transport have remained mostly elusive. Here we report systematic resistance measurements in rhombohedral pentalayer graphene/hBN moiré superlattices. We found that the displacement field-driven phase transitions between Composite Fermi liquid, Fermi liquid, Fractional Chern insulators, and insulating states are described by semi-circle relations of the longitudinal and transverse resistivities (or conductivities), largely unexplored in the fractional quantum Hall systems. This agrees with a spatially separated two-phase picture for the phase transitions and further indicates a new insulator phase--fractional quantized anomalous Hall insulator. By comparing the temperature-dependence of longitudinal resistance with the thermal activation model, we estimated the transport gap sizes in three fractional Chern insulator states. Our work shed light on the quantum and temperature evolutions of fractional Chern insulator states--providing necessary background for anyon-braiding and gate-defined junctions in rhombohedral graphene.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2026

Excitons probe intrinsic flat band Mottness in a van der Waals heterostructure

Excitons provide a sensitive optical probe of electronic correlations in nearby two-dimensional materials, yet their coupling to intrinsic flat-band Mott systems remains largely unexplored. Here we combine gate-tunable optical spectroscopy with first-principles calculations to study monolayer WSe$_2$ in direct contact with the van der Waals Mott insulator Nb$_3$Cl$_8$. The gate evolution of WSe$_2$ excitonic resonances reveals signatures of a correlation-reconstructed Mott gap in Nb$_3$Cl$_8$ that is absent from the single-particle band picture. In the electron-doped regime, the WSe$_2$ 2s Rydberg exciton undergoes a multistage evolution and develops into interlayer attractive and repulsive polaron branches, showing that a Rydberg exciton can be dressed by strongly correlated flat-band electrons in an adjacent Mott layer. Under an out-of-plane magnetic field, spin-polarized Nb$_3$Cl$_8$ states further induce valley-selective exciton coupling, producing a strongly enhanced circular polarization of the WSe$_2$ exciton emission. These results extend exciton-based sensing and exciton-polaron physics to intrinsic flat-band Mott materials, providing an optical route to probe and engineer correlation-driven interfacial quasiparticles.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗