Quantum melting of generalized electron crystal in twisted bilayer MoSe2
Abstract Electrons can form an ordered solid crystal phase ascribed to the interplay between Coulomb repulsion and kinetic energy. Tuning these energy scales can drive a phase transition from electron solid to liquid, i.e., melting of Wigner crystal. Generalized Wigner crystals (GWCs) pinned to moir...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59365-2 |
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| author | Qi Jun Zong Haolin Wang Qi Zhang Xinle Cheng Yangchen He Qiaoling Xu Ammon Fischer Kenji Watanabe Takashi Taniguchi Daniel A. Rhodes Lede Xian Dante M. Kennes Angel Rubio Geliang Yu Lei Wang |
| author_facet | Qi Jun Zong Haolin Wang Qi Zhang Xinle Cheng Yangchen He Qiaoling Xu Ammon Fischer Kenji Watanabe Takashi Taniguchi Daniel A. Rhodes Lede Xian Dante M. Kennes Angel Rubio Geliang Yu Lei Wang |
| author_sort | Qi Jun Zong |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Electrons can form an ordered solid crystal phase ascribed to the interplay between Coulomb repulsion and kinetic energy. Tuning these energy scales can drive a phase transition from electron solid to liquid, i.e., melting of Wigner crystal. Generalized Wigner crystals (GWCs) pinned to moiré superlattices have been reported by optical and scanning-probe-based methods. Using transport measurements to investigate GWCs is vital to a complete characterization, however, still poses a significant challenge due to difficulties in making reliable electrical contacts. Here, we report the electrical transport detection of GWCs at fractional fillings ν = 2/5, 1/2, 3/5, 2/3, 8/9, 10/9, and 4/3 in twisted bilayer MoSe2. We further observe that these GWCs undergo continuous quantum melting transitions to liquid phases by tuning doping density, magnetic and displacement fields, manifested by quantum critical scaling behaviors. Our findings establish twisted bilayer MoSe2 as a novel system to study strongly correlated states of matter and their quantum phase transitions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-cf9abbf600d346a6908ef92f0fe03ca6 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
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| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-cf9abbf600d346a6908ef92f0fe03ca62025-08-20T03:52:20ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-04-011611810.1038/s41467-025-59365-2Quantum melting of generalized electron crystal in twisted bilayer MoSe2Qi Jun Zong0Haolin Wang1Qi Zhang2Xinle Cheng3Yangchen He4Qiaoling Xu5Ammon Fischer6Kenji Watanabe7Takashi Taniguchi8Daniel A. Rhodes9Lede Xian10Dante M. Kennes11Angel Rubio12Geliang Yu13Lei Wang14National Laboratory of Solid-State Microstructures, School of Physics and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing UniversitySchool of Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Xidian UniversityNational Laboratory of Solid-State Microstructures, School of Physics and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing UniversityInstitut für Theorie der Statistischen Physik, RWTH Aachen University and JARA-Fundamentals of Future Information TechnologyDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, University of WisconsinSongshan Lake Materials LaboratoryInstitut für Theorie der Statistischen Physik, RWTH Aachen University and JARA-Fundamentals of Future Information TechnologyResearch Center for Electronic and Optical Materials, National Institute for Materials ScienceResearch Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics, National Institute for Materials ScienceDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, University of WisconsinSongshan Lake Materials LaboratoryInstitut für Theorie der Statistischen Physik, RWTH Aachen University and JARA-Fundamentals of Future Information TechnologyMax Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Center for Free-Electron Laser Science (CFEL)National Laboratory of Solid-State Microstructures, School of Physics and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing UniversityNational Laboratory of Solid-State Microstructures, School of Physics and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing UniversityAbstract Electrons can form an ordered solid crystal phase ascribed to the interplay between Coulomb repulsion and kinetic energy. Tuning these energy scales can drive a phase transition from electron solid to liquid, i.e., melting of Wigner crystal. Generalized Wigner crystals (GWCs) pinned to moiré superlattices have been reported by optical and scanning-probe-based methods. Using transport measurements to investigate GWCs is vital to a complete characterization, however, still poses a significant challenge due to difficulties in making reliable electrical contacts. Here, we report the electrical transport detection of GWCs at fractional fillings ν = 2/5, 1/2, 3/5, 2/3, 8/9, 10/9, and 4/3 in twisted bilayer MoSe2. We further observe that these GWCs undergo continuous quantum melting transitions to liquid phases by tuning doping density, magnetic and displacement fields, manifested by quantum critical scaling behaviors. Our findings establish twisted bilayer MoSe2 as a novel system to study strongly correlated states of matter and their quantum phase transitions.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59365-2 |
| spellingShingle | Qi Jun Zong Haolin Wang Qi Zhang Xinle Cheng Yangchen He Qiaoling Xu Ammon Fischer Kenji Watanabe Takashi Taniguchi Daniel A. Rhodes Lede Xian Dante M. Kennes Angel Rubio Geliang Yu Lei Wang Quantum melting of generalized electron crystal in twisted bilayer MoSe2 Nature Communications |
| title | Quantum melting of generalized electron crystal in twisted bilayer MoSe2 |
| title_full | Quantum melting of generalized electron crystal in twisted bilayer MoSe2 |
| title_fullStr | Quantum melting of generalized electron crystal in twisted bilayer MoSe2 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Quantum melting of generalized electron crystal in twisted bilayer MoSe2 |
| title_short | Quantum melting of generalized electron crystal in twisted bilayer MoSe2 |
| title_sort | quantum melting of generalized electron crystal in twisted bilayer mose2 |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59365-2 |
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