Detecting symmetry breaking in magic angle graphene using scanning tunneling microscopy
Autor: | Hong, Jung Pyo, Soejima, Tomohiro, Zaletel, Michael P. |
---|---|
Rok vydání: | 2021 |
Předmět: | |
Druh dokumentu: | Working Paper |
DOI: | 10.1103/PhysRevLett.129.147001 |
Popis: | A growing body of experimental work suggests that magic angle twisted bilayer graphene exhibits a "cascade" of spontaneous symmetry breaking transitions, sparking interest in the potential relationship between symmetry-breaking and superconductivity. However, it has proven difficult to find experimental probes which can unambiguously identify the nature of the symmetry breaking. Here we show how atomically-resolved scanning tunneling microscopy can be used as a fingerprint of symmetry breaking order. By analyzing the pattern of sublattice polarization and "Kekul\'{e}" distortions in small magnetic fields, order parameters for each of the most competitive symmetry-breaking states can be identified. In particular, we show that the "Kramers intervalley coherent state," which theoretical work predicts to be the ground state at even integer fillings, shows a Kekul\'{e} distortion which emerges only in a magnetic field. Comment: added a citation a note |
Databáze: | arXiv |
Externí odkaz: |