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Ziyan Zhu

Publications and source records attributed to Ziyan Zhu.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Multi-moiré trilayer graphene: lattice relaxation, electronic structure, and magic angles

We systematically explore the structural and electronic properties of twisted trilayer graphene systems. In general, these systems are characterized by two twist angles, which lead to two incommensurate moiré periods. We show that lattice relaxation results in the formation of domains of periodic single-moiré structures only for twist angles close to the simplest fractions. For the majority of other twist angles, the incommensurate moiré periods lead to a quasicrystalline structure. We identify experimentally relevant magic angles at which the electronic density of states is sharply peaked and strongly correlated physics is most likely to be realized.

cond-mat.str-el↗

Helical trilayer graphene: a moiré platform for strongly-interacting topological bands

Quantum geometry of electronic wavefunctions results in fascinating topological phenomena. A prominent example is the intrinsic anomalous Hall effect (AHE) in which a Hall voltage arises in the absence of an applied magnetic field. The AHE requires a coexistence of Berry curvature and spontaneous time-reversal symmetry breaking. These conditions can be realized in two-dimensional moiré systems with broken $xy$-inversion symmetry ($C_{2z}$) that host flat electronic bands. Here, we explore helical trilayer graphene (HTG), three graphene layers twisted sequentially by the same angle forming two misoriented moiré patterns. Although HTG is globally $C_{2z}$-symmetric, surprisingly we observe clear signatures of topological bands. At a magic angle $θ_\mathrm{m}\approx 1.8^\circ$, we uncover a robust phase diagram of correlated and magnetic states using magnetotransport measurements. Lattice relaxation leads to large periodic domains in which $C_{2z}$ is broken on the moiré scale. Each domain harbors flat topological bands with valley-contrasting Chern numbers $\pm(1,-2)$. We find correlated states at integer electron fillings per moiré unit cell $ν=1,2,3$ and fractional fillings $2/3,7/2$ with the AHE arising at $ν=1,3$ and $2/3,7/2$. At $ν=1$, a time-reversal symmetric phase appears beyond a critical electric displacement field, indicating a topological phase transition. Finally, hysteresis upon sweeping $ν$ points to first-order phase transitions across a spatial mosaic of Chern domains separated by a network of topological gapless edge states. We establish HTG as an important platform that realizes ideal conditions for exploring strongly interacting topological phases and, due to its emergent moiré-scale symmetries, demonstrates a novel way to engineer topology.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

Topology of rotating stratified fluids with and without background shear flow

Poincaré-gravity modes described by the shallow water equations in a rotating frame have non-trivial topology, providing a new perspective on the origin of equatorially trapped Kelvin and Yanai waves. We investigate the topology of rotating shallow water equations and continuously stratified primitive equations in the presence of a background sinusoidal shear flow. The introduction of a background shear flow not only breaks the Hermiticity and homogeneity of the system but also leads to instabilities. We show that singularities in the phase of the Poincaré waves of the unforced shallow-water equations and primitive equations persist in the presence of shear. Thus the bulk Poincaré bands have non-trivial topology and we expect and confirm the persistence of the equatorial waves in the presence of shear along the equator where the Coriolis parameter $f$ changes sign.

physics.flu-dyn↗

Electronic ratchet effect in a moiré system: signatures of excitonic ferroelectricity

Electronic ferroelectricity represents a new paradigm where spontaneous symmetry breaking driven by electronic correlations, in contrast to traditional lattice-driven ferroelectricity, leads to the formation of electric dipoles. Despite the potential application advantages arising from its electronic nature, switchable electronic ferroelectricity remains exceedingly rare. Here, we report the discovery of an electronic ratchet effect that manifests itself as switchable electronic ferroelectricity in a layer-contrasting graphene-boron nitride moiré heterostructure. Our engineered layer-asymmetric moiré potential landscapes result in layer-polarized localized and itinerant electronic subsystems. At particular fillings of the localized subsystem, we find a ratcheting injection of itinerant carriers in a non-volatile manner, leading to a highly unusual ferroelectric response. Strikingly, the remnant polarization can be stabilized at multiple (quasi-continuous) states with behavior markedly distinct from known ferroelectrics. Our experimental observations, simulations, and theoretical analysis suggest that dipolar excitons are the driving force and elementary ferroelectric units in our system. This signifies a new type of electronic ferroelectricity where the formation of dipolar excitons with aligned moments generates a macroscopic polarization and leads to an electronically-driven ferroelectric response, which we term excitonic ferroelectricity. Such new ferroelectrics, driven by quantum objects like dipolar excitons, could pave the way to innovative quantum analog memory and synaptic devices.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

Twisto-electrochemical activity volcanoes in Trilayer Graphene

In this work, we develop a twist-dependent electrochemical activity map, combining a tight-binding electronic structure model with modified Marcus-Hush-Chidsey kinetics in trilayer graphene. We identify a counterintuitive rate enhancement region spanning the magic angle curve and incommensurate twists of the system geometry. We find a broad activity peak with a ruthenium hexamine redox couple in regions corresponding to both magic angles and incommensurate angles, a result qualitatively distinct from the twisted bilayer case. Flat bands and incommensurability offer new avenues for reaction rate enhancements in electrochemical transformations.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

Low-energy moiré phonons in twisted bilayer van der Waals heterostructures

We develop a low-energy continuum model for phonons in twisted moiré bilayers, based on a configuration-space approach. In this approach, interatomic force constants are obtained from density functional theory (DFT) calculations of untwisted bilayers with various in-plane shifts. This allows for efficient computation of phonon properties for any small twist angle, while maintaining DFT-level accuracy. Based on this framework, we show how the low-energy phonon modes, including interlayer shearing and layer-breathing modes, vary with the twist angle. As the twist angle decreases, the frequencies of the low-energy modes are reordered and the atomic displacement fields corresponding to phonon eigenmodes break translational symmetry, developing periodicity on the moiré length scale. We demonstrate the capabilities of our model by calculating the phonon properties of three specific structures: bilayer graphene, bilayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS$_2$), and molybdenum diselenide-tungsten diselenide (MoSe$_2$-WSe$_2$).

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

Domain-dependent surface adhesion in twisted few-layer graphene: Platform for moiré-assisted chemistry

Twisted van der Waals multilayers are widely regarded as a rich platform to access novel electronic phases, thanks to the multiple degrees of freedom such as layer thickness and twist angle that allow control of their electronic and chemical properties. Here, we propose that the stacking domains that form naturally due to the relative twist between successive layers act as an additional "knob" for controlling the behavior of these systems, and report the emergence and engineering of stacking domain-dependent surface chemistry in twisted few-layer graphene. Using mid-infrared near-field optical microscopy and atomic force microscopy, we observe a selective adhesion of metallic nanoparticles and liquid water at the domains with rhombohedral stacking configurations of minimally twisted double bi- and tri-layer graphene. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the manipulation of nanoparticles located at certain stacking domains can locally reconfigure the moiré superlattice in their vicinity at the μm-scale. In addition, we report first-principles simulations of the energetics of adhesion of metal atoms and water molecules on the stacking domains in an attempt to elucidate the origin of the observed selective adhesion. Our findings establish a new approach to controlling moiré-assisted chemistry and nanoengineering.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Pressure--enhanced fractional Chern insulators in moiré transition metal dichalcogenides along a magic line

We show that pressure applied to twisted WSe$_2$ can enhance the many-body gap and region of stability of a fractional Chern insulator at filling $ν= 1/3$. Our results are based on exact diagonalization of a continuum model, whose pressure-dependence is obtained through {\it ab initio} methods. We interpret our results in terms of a {\it magic line} in the pressure-{\it vs}-twist angle phase diagram: along the magic line, the bandwidth of the topmost moiré valence band is minimized while simultaneously its quantum geometry nearly resembles that of an ideal Chern band. We expect our results to generalize to other twisted transition metal dichalcogenide homobilayers.

cond-mat.str-el↗

HubbardNet: Efficient Predictions of the Bose-Hubbard Model Spectrum with Deep Neural Networks

We present a deep neural network (DNN)-based model (HubbardNet) to variationally find the ground state and excited state wavefunctions of the one-dimensional and two-dimensional Bose-Hubbard model. Using this model for a square lattice with $M$ sites, we obtain the energy spectrum as an analytical function of the on-site Coulomb repulsion, $U$, and the total number of particles, $N$, from a single training. This approach bypasses the need to solve a new hamiltonian for each different set of values $(U,N)$. Using \texttt{HubbardNet}, we identify the two ground state phases of the Bose-Hubbard model (Mott insulator and superfluid). We show that the DNN-parametrized solutions are in excellent agreement with results from the exact diagonalization of the hamiltonian, and it outperforms exact diagonalization in terms of computational scaling. These advantages suggest that our model is promising for efficient and accurate computation of exact phase diagrams of many-body lattice hamiltonians.

cond-mat.str-el↗

Anomalous interfacial electron transfer kinetics in twisted trilayer graphene caused by layer-specific localization

Interfacial electron-transfer (ET) reactions underpin the interconversion of electrical and chemical energy. Pioneering experiments showed that the ET rate depends on the Fermi Dirac distribution of the electronic density of states (DOS) of the electrode, formalized in the Marcus Hush Chidsey (MHC) model. Here, by controlling interlayer twists in well-defined trilayergraphene moires, we show that ET rates are strikingly dependent on electronic localization in each atomic layer, and not the overall DOS. The large degree of tunability inherent to moire electrodes leads to local ET kinetics that range over three orders of magnitude across different constructions of only three atomic layers, even exceeding rates at bulk metals. Our results demonstrate that beyond the ensemble DOS, electronic localization is critical in facilitating interfacial ET, with implications for understanding the origin of high interfacial reactivity typically exhibited by defects at electrode electrolyte interfaces.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

Electric field-tunable layer polarization in graphene/boron nitride twisted quadrilayer superlattices

The recently observed unconventional ferroelectricity in AB bilayer graphene sandwiched by hexagonal Boron Nitride (hBN) presents a new platform to manipulate correlated phases in multilayered van der Waals heterostructures. We present a low-energy continuum model for AB bilayer graphene encapsulated by the top and bottom layers of either hBN or graphene, with two independent twist angles. For the graphene/hBN heterostructures, we show that twist angle asymmetry leads to a layer polarization of the valence and conduction bands. We also show that an out-of-plane displacement field not only tunes the layer polarization but also flattens the low-energy bands. We extend the model to show that the electronic structures of quadrilayer graphene heterostructure consisting of AB bilayer graphene encapsulated by the top and bottom graphene layers can similarly be tuned by an external electric field.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

TB or not TB? Contrasting properties of twisted bilayer graphene and the alternating twist $n$-layer structures ($n=3, 4, 5, \dots$)

The emergence of alternating twist multilayer graphene (ATMG) as a generalization of twisted bilayer graphene (TBG) raises the question - in what important ways do these systems differ? Here, we utilize ab-initio relaxation and single-particle theory, analytical strong coupling analysis, and Hartree-Fock to contrast ATMG with $n=3,4,5,\ldots$ layers and TBG. $\textbf{I}$: We show how external fields enter in the decomposition of ATMG into TBG and graphene subsystems. The parallel magnetic field has little effect for $n$ odd due to mirror symmetry, but surprisingly also for any $n > 2$ if we are are the largest magic angle. $\textbf{II}$: We compute the relaxation of the multilayers leading to effective parameters for each TBG subsystem. We find that the second magic angle for $n=5$, $θ= 1.14$ is closest to the "chiral" model and thus may be an optimal host for fractional Chern insulators. $\textbf{III}$: We integrate out non-magic subsystems and reduce ATMG to its magic angle TBG subsystem with a screened interaction. $\textbf{IV}$: We perform an analytic strong coupling analysis of the external fields and corroborate it with Hartree-Fock. An in-plane magnetic field in TBG drives a transition to a valley Hall state or a gapless "magnetic semimetal." A displacement field $V$ has little effect on TBG, but induces a gapped phase in ATMG for small $V$ for $n = 4$ and above a critical $V$ for $n = 3$. For $n\geq 3$, we find the superexchange coupling - believed to set the scale of superconductivity in the skyrmion mechanism - increases with $V$ at angles near and below the magic angle. $\textbf{V}$: We complement our strong coupling approach with a weak coupling theory of ATMG pair-breaking. While for $n=2$ orbital effects of the in-plane magnetic field can give a critical field of the same order as the Pauli field, for $n>2$ we expect the critical field to exceed the Pauli limit.

cond-mat.str-el↗

The Distance Distribution between Mobile Node and Reference Node in Regular Hexagon

This paper presents a new method to obtain the distance distribution between the mobile node and any reference node in a regular hexagon. The existing distance distribution research mainly focuses on static network deployment and ignores node mobility. This paper studies the distribution of node distances between mobile node and any reference node. A random waypoint (RWP) migration model is adopted for mobile node. The Cumulative Distribution Function (CDF) of the distance between any reference node (inside or outside the regular hexagon) and the mobile node (inside the regular hexagon) is derived. The validity of the results is verified by simulation.

cs.IT↗

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↗

Spectroscopic Signatures of Interlayer Coupling in Janus MoSSe/MoS2 Heterostructures

The interlayer coupling in van der Waals heterostructures governs a variety of optical and electronic properties. The intrinsic dipole moment of Janus transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) offers a simple and versatile approach to tune the interlayer interactions. In this work, we demonstrate how the van der Waals interlayer coupling and charge transfer of Janus MoSSe/MoS2 heterobilayers can be tuned by the twist angle and interface composition. Specifically, the Janus heterostructures with a sulfur/sulfur (S/S) interface display stronger interlayer coupling than the heterostructures with a selenium/sulfur (Se/S) interface as shown by the low-frequency Raman modes. The differences in interlayer interactions are explained by the interlayer distance computed by density-functional theory (DFT). More intriguingly, the built-in electric field contributed by the charge density redistribution and interlayer coupling also play important roles in the interfacial charge transfer. Namely, the S/S and Se/S interfaces exhibit different levels of PL quenching of MoS2 A exciton, suggesting the enhanced and reduced charge transfer at the S/S and Se/S interface, respectively. Our work demonstrates how the asymmetry of Janus TMDs can be used to tailor the interfacial interactions in van der Waals heterostructures.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Gate-tunable Veselago Interference in a Bipolar Graphene Microcavity

The relativistic charge carriers in monolayer graphene can be manipulated in manners akin to conventional optics (electron-optics): angle-dependent Klein tunneling collimates an electron beam (analogous to a laser), while a Veselago refraction process focuses it (analogous to an optical lens). Both processes have been previously investigated, but the collimation and focusing efficiency have been reported to be relatively low even in state-of-the-art ballistic pn-junction devices. These limitations prevented the realization of more advanced quantum devices based on electron-optical interference, while understanding of the underlying physics remains elusive. Here, we present a novel device architecture of a graphene microcavity defined by carefully-engineered local strain and electrostatic fields. We create a controlled electron-optic interference process at zero magnetic field as a consequence of consecutive Veselago refractions in the microcavity and provide direct experimental evidence through low-temperature electrical transport measurements. The experimentally observed first-, second-, and third-order interference peaks agree quantitatively with the Veselago physics in a microcavity. In addition, we demonstrate decoherence of the interference by an external magnetic field, as the cyclotron radius becomes comparable to the interference length scale. For its application in electron-optics, we utilize Veselago interference to localize uncollimated electrons and characterize its contribution in further improving collimation efficiency. Our work sheds new light on relativistic single-particle physics and provides important technical improvements toward next-generation quantum devices based on the coherent manipulation of electron momentum and trajectory.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

Correlated Insulating States and Transport Signature of Superconductivity in Twisted Trilayer Graphene Moiré of Moiré Superlattices

Layers of two-dimensional materials stacked with a small twist-angle give rise to beating periodic patterns on a scale much larger than the original lattice, referred to as a moiré superlattice. When the stacking involves more than two layers with independent twist angles between adjacent layers, it generates moiré of moiré superlattices, with multiple length scales that control the system's behavior. Here we demonstrate these effects of a high-order moiré superlattice in twisted trilayer graphene with two consecutive small twist angles. We report correlated insulating states near the half filling of the moiré of moiré superlattice at an extremely low carrier density (~1010 cm-2), near which we also report a zero-resistance transport behavior typically expected in a 2D superconductor. Moreover, the temperature dependence of the measured resistances at full-occupancy (v = -4 and v = 4) states are semi-metallic, distinct from the insulating behavior of twisted bilayer systems, providing the first demonstration of emergent correlated transport behaviors from continuous, non-isolated higher-order moiré flat bands. Our findings shed new insights into the microscopic mechanisms of moiré correlated states and provide the impetus for future studies on this material platform, such as the demonstration of phase coherence and Meissner-like effect.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

Twisted Trilayer Graphene: a Precisely Tunable Platform for Correlated Electrons

We introduce twisted trilayer graphene (tTLG) with two independent twist angles as an ideal system for the precise tuning of the electronic interlayer coupling to maximize the effect of correlated behaviors. As established by experiment and theory in the related twisted bilayer graphene system, van Hove singularities (VHS) in the density of states can be used as a proxy of the tendency for correlated behaviors. To explore the evolution of VHS in the twist-angle phase space of tTLG, we present a general low-energy electronic structure model for any pair of twist angles. We show that the basis of the model has infinite dimensions even at a finite energy cutoff and that no Brillouin zone exists even in the continuum limit. Using this model, we demonstrate that the tTLG system exhibits a wide range of magic angles at which VHS merge and the density of states has a sharp peak at the charge-neutrality point through two distinct mechanisms: the incommensurate perturbation of twisted bilayer graphene's flat bands or the equal hybridization between two bilayer moiré superlattices.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗