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Spectroscopy of Twisted Bilayer Graphene Correlated Insulators

Journal Article · · Physical Review Letters
 [1];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [3];  [4]
  1. Princeton Univ., NJ (United States); OSTI
  2. Princeton Univ., NJ (United States)
  3. Florida State Univ., Tallahassee, FL (United States). National High Magnetic Field Lab. (MagLab)
  4. Princeton Univ., NJ (United States); Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC), San Sebastian (Spain); Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao (Spain). IKERBASQUE
Here we analytically compute the scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) signatures of integer-filled correlated ground states of the magic angle twisted bilayer graphene (TBG) narrow bands. After experimentally validating the strong-coupling approach at ± 4 electrons/moiré unit cell, we consider the spatial features of the STM signal for 14 different many-body correlated states and assess the possibility of Kekulé distortion (KD) emerging at the graphene lattice scale. Remarkably, we find that coupling the two opposite graphene valleys in the intervalley-coherent (IVC) TBG insulators does not always result in KD. As an example, we show that the Kramers IVC state and its nonchiral U(4) rotations do not exhibit any KD, while the time-reversal-symmetric IVC state does. Our results, obtained over a large range of energies and model parameters, show that the STM signal and Chern number of a state can be used to uniquely determine the nature of the TBG ground state.
Research Organization:
Princeton Univ., NJ (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
BSF Israel US Foundation; European Research Council (ERC); Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (GBMF); National Science Foundation (NSF); Simons Foundation; US Department of the Navy, Office of Naval Research (ONR); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
Grant/Contract Number:
FG02-07ER46419
OSTI ID:
1980319
Journal Information:
Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Issue: 11 Vol. 129; ISSN 0031-9007
Publisher:
American Physical Society (APS)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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