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Superconductivity in twisted bilayer WSe<sub>2</sub>

ORAL

Abstract

Moiré materials have enabled the realization of flat electron bands and quantum phases that are driven by strong correlations associated with flat bands. Superconductivity has been observed, but solely, in graphene moiré materials. The absence of robust superconductivity in moiré materials beyond graphene, such as semiconductor moiré materials, has remained a mystery and challenged our current understanding of superconductivity in flat bands. Here, we report the observation of robust superconductivity in 3.65-degree twisted bilayer WSe2 which hosts a honeycomb moiré lattice. Superconductivity emerges at half-band filling and under small sublattice potential differences, where the moiré band is a flat Chern band. The optimal superconducting transition temperature is about 220 mK and constitutes 2% of the effective Fermi temperature; the latter is comparable to the value in high-temperature cuprate superconductors and suggests strong pairing. The superconductor borders on two distinct metals below and above half-band filling; it undergoes a continuous transition to a correlated insulator by tuning the sublattice potential difference. The observed superconductivity on the verge of Coulomb-induced charge localization suggests roots in strong electron correlations.

Publication: https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.14784

Presenters

  • Yiyu Xia

    Cornell University

Authors

  • Yiyu Xia

    Cornell University

  • Zhongdong Han

    Cornell University

  • Kenji Watanabe

    National Institute for Materials Science, NIMS, Research Center for Functional Materials, National Institute for Materials Science, Research Center for Electronic and Optical Materials, National Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba 305-0044, Japan, Research Center for Functional Materials, National Institute of Material Science, Tsukuba, Japan, National Institute of Materials Science, Advanced Materials Laboratory, National Institute for Materials Science

  • Takashi Taniguchi

    National Institute for Materials Science, International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics, National Institute for Materials Science, Research Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics, National Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba 305-0044, Japan, International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics, National Institute of Material Science, Tsukuba, Japan, Advanced Materials Laboratory, National Institute for Materials Science

  • Jie Shan

    Cornell University

  • Kin Fai Mak

    Cornell University