arXiv subjects

Kenji Watanabe

Publications and source records attributed to Kenji Watanabe.

At least 343 records · Page 19Linked to original sources

arXiv2025

Modulation of quantum geometry and its coupling to pseudo-electric field by dynamic strain

Two-dimensional materials are a fertile ground for exploring quantum geometric phenomena, with Berry curvature and its first moment, the Berry curvature dipole, playing a central role in their electronic response. These geometric properties influence electronic transport and result in the anomalous and nonlinear Hall effects, and are typically controlled using static electric fields or strain. However, the possibility of modulating quantum geometric quantities in real-time remains unexplored. Here, we demonstrate the dynamic modulation of Berry curvature and its moments, as well as the generation of a pseudo-electric field using time-dependent strain. By placing heterostructures on a membrane, we introduce oscillatory strain together with an in-plane AC electric field and measure Hall signals that are modulated at linear combinations of the frequencies of strain and electric field. Our measurements reveal modulation of Berry curvature and its first moment. Notably, we provide direct experimental evidence of pseudo-electric field that results in an unusual dynamic strain-induced Hall response. This approach opens up a new pathway for controlling quantum geometry on demand, moving beyond conventional static perturbations. The pseudo-electric field provides a framework for external electric field-free anomalous Hall response and opens new avenues for probing the topological properties.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Magnetic-Field-Driven Insulator-Superconductor Transition in Rhombohedral Graphene

Recent studies of rhombohedral multilayer graphene (RMG) have revealed a variety of superconducting states that can be induced or enhanced by magnetic fields, reinforcing RMG as a powerful platform for investigating novel superconductivity. Here we report an insulator-superconductor transition driven by in-plane magnetic fields B|| in rhombohedral hexalayer graphene. The upper critical in-plane field of 2T violates the Pauli limit, and an analysis based on isospin symmetry breaking supports a spin-polarized superconductor. At in-plane B = 0, such spin-polarized superconductor transitions into an insulator, exhibiting a thermally activated gap of 0.1 meV. In addition, we observe four superconducting states in the hole-doped regime, as well as phases with orbital multiferroicity near charge neutrality point. These findings substantially enrich the phase diagram of rhombohedral graphene and provide new insight into the microscopic mechanisms of superconductivity

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2025

Entangled Moire Chern Insulator in Rhombohedral Graphene

Graphene-based moire superlattices exhibit novel quantum phenomena driven by pronounced interactions, leading to topological corrected states like orbital Chern insulators exhibiting quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE). Typically, intrinsic Chern insulators are stabilized at odd moiré fillings, as even fillings often result in valley-balanced, topologically trivial states at zero magnetic field. In our work, we report the observation of an intrinsic Chern insulator with C = 1 state at moire filling v = 2 in rhombohedral octalayer graphene (R8G)/hBN moire superlattice. Observing such Chern insulators in particular with C = 1 at v = 2 is intriguing, as each moiré band carries Chern number C = 1 or -1. We further demonstrate such a state can originate from the entanglement between the low-energy moire flat bands and high-energy remote bands according to the Hartree-Fock calculation. Our findings extend the known topological phase diagram of rhombohedral multilayer graphene (RMG) moire systems and establish this platform as highly promising for investigating strong electron correlations and multiband hybridized transport.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Evidence of Mott Insulator with Thermally Induced Melting Behavior in Kagome Compound Nb3Cl8

The kagome lattice provides a playground to explore novel correlated quantum states due to the presence of flat bands in its electronic structure. Recently discovered layered kagome compound Nb3Cl8 has been proposed as a Mott insulator coming from the half-filled flat band. Here we have carried out systematic transport study to uncover the evidence of Mott insulator in Nb3Cl8 thin flakes. Bipolar semiconducting property with Fermi level close to conduction band has been revealed. We have further probed the chemical potential of Nb3Cl8 by tracing the charge neutrality point of the monolayer graphene proximate to Nb3Cl8. The gap of Nb3Cl8 flakes is approximately 1.10 eV at 100 K and shows pronounced temperature dependence, decreasing substantially with increasing temperature to ~0.63 eV at 300 K. The melting behavior of the gapped state is in consistent with theoretically proposed Mott insulator in Nb3Cl8. Our work has demonstrated Nb3Cl8 as a promising platform to study strongly correlated physics at relatively high temperature.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Observation of Integer and Fractional Chern insulators in high Chern number flatbands

Moiré flatbands with high Chern numbers (C>1) offer opportunities to study the fractional quantum anomalous Hall effects that go beyond the Landau level paradigm with C=1, which remain unexplored yet. Here, we target the novel topological phases in high Chern number flatbands by designing a new moiré system, i.e., twisted rhombohedral trilayer-bilayer graphene. We observe quantized anomalous Hall effects (QAH) with C = 3 at v = 1 and v = 3, demonstrating the high Chern number nature of the flat band from continuum calculations. By fractionally filling the flat band, we observe QAH with C = 2 at even-denominator fractional filling v = 3/2, as well as QAH with C = 3 continuously from v = 1 to the even-denominator v = 3/2 at zero magnetic fields. Most importantly, we observe, for the first time, evidence of an FCI with C = -6/5 at v = 12/5, corresponding to 2/5 filling of a high Chern number flat band with C = -3, verified by both Streda formula analysis and a fractionally QAH. It is also worth noting that Streda formula analysis reveals a signature of another FCI with C = -3/2 at v = 5/2 under finite magnetic fields. Our results demonstrate the tRTBG, which can be naturally extended to other twisted graphene moiré superlattices based on rhombohedral graphene multilayers, as a novel platform for hosting unconventional high Chern number correlated topology in the ultra-strong correlated regime that is beyond the paradigm of fractional phases with C < 1.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Dielectric and gate metal engineering for threshold voltage modulation in enhancement mode monolayer MoS2 field effect transistors

Excellent gate electrostatics in field effect transistors (FETs) based on two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide (2D TMD) channels can dramatically decrease static power dissipation. Energy efficient FETs operate in enhancement mode with small and positive threshold voltage (Vth) for n-type devices. However, most state-of-the-art FETs based on monolayer MoS2 channel operate in depletion mode with negative Vth due to doping from the underlying dielectric substrate. In this work, we identify key properties of the semiconductor/dielectric interface (MoS2 on industrially relevant high dielectric constant (k) HfO2, ZrO2 and hBN for reference) responsible for realizing enhancement-mode operation of 2D MoS2 channel FETs. We find that hBN and ZrO2 dielectric substrates provide low defect interfaces with MoS2 that enables effective modulation of the Vth using gate metals of different work functions (WFs). We use photoluminescence (PL) and synchrotron X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements to investigate doping levels in monolayer MoS2 on different dielectrics with different WF gate metals. We complement the FET and spectroscopic measurements with capacitance-voltage analysis on dielectrics with varying thicknesses, which confirm that Vth modulation in ZrO2 devices is correlated with WF of the gate metals - in contrast with HfO2 devices that exhibit signatures of Vth pinning induced by oxide/interface defect states. Finally, we demonstrate FETs using a 2D MoS2 channel and a 6 nm of ZrO2 dielectric, achieving a subthreshold swing of 87 mV dec-1 and a threshold voltage of 0.1 V. Our results offer insights into the role of dielectric/semiconductor interface in 2D MoS2 based FETs for realizing enhancement mode FETs and highlight the potential of ZrO2 as a scalable high-k dielectric.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Correlated interlayer quantum Hall state in large-angle twisted trilayer graphene

Trilayer graphene allows systematic control of its electronic structure through stacking sequence and twist geometry, providing a versatile platform for correlated states. Here we report magnetotransport in alternating twisted trilayer graphene with a twist angle of about 5$^{\circ}$. The data reveal an electron-hole asymmetry that can be captured by introducing layer-dependent potential shifts. At charge neutrality ($ν_{\mathrm{tot}}=0$), three low-resistance states appear, which Hartree-Fock mean-field analysis attributes to emerging spin-resolved helical edge modes similar to those of quantum spin Hall insulators. At $ν_{\mathrm{tot}}=-1$, we also observe suppressed resistance when the middle and bottom layers are each half filled while the top layer remains inert at $ν=-2$, consistent with an interlayer excitonic quantum Hall state. These results demonstrate correlated interlayer quantum Hall phases in alternating twisted trilayer graphene, including spin-resolved edge transport and excitonic order.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Electronic Phonons in a Moiré Electron Crystal

Collective quantum phenomena, such as the excitation of composite fermions1, spin waves2, and exciton condensation3,4, can emerge in strongly correlated systems like the fractional quantum Hall states5, spin liquids6, or excitonic insulators7. Two-dimensional (2D) moiré superlattices have emerged as a powerful platform for exploring such correlated phases and their associated collective excitations8,9. Specifically, electron crystals stabilized by longrange Coulomb interactions may host collective vibrational excitations emerging from electron correlations10, termed electronic phonons, which are fundamentally distinct from atomic lattice phonons. Despite theoretical prediction of their existence in moiré electron crystals11, direct experimental evidence has remained elusive. Here we report the observation of electronic phonons in the Mott insulating and stripe phases of a WS2/WSe2 moiré superlattice, achieved through light scattering measurements. The phonon energies, temperature and filling factor dependencies, along with theoretical modeling, corroborate their origin as collective vibrations of a correlated electron crystal. Polarization-resolved measurements further indicate rotational symmetry breaking in the Mott state. Notably, these electronic phonons exhibit strong tunability in energy, intensity, and polarization under external electric or magnetic fields, highlighting rich and controllable lattice dynamics of the electron crystal. These findings provide direct spectroscopic evidence for the electronic crystalline nature of correlated phases, opening avenues for probing and manipulating collective excitations in correlated electron systems.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Chiral-helical junctions in screened graphene

Reproducibility and quantization in quantum spin Hall platforms is a persisting challenge, limiting their use in hybrid realizations of topological superconductivity. We report robust and reproducible quantized transport in a graphene quantum Hall topological insulator, stabilized at low magnetic fields by screening long-range Coulomb interactions with a metallic Bi$_2$Se$_3$ back gate. Beyond quantized resistance plateaus, we demonstrate mode-resolved control via gate-defined chiral-helical junctions that selectively transmit or backscatter a single helical channel, a capability inaccessible in time-reversal symmetric quantum spin Hall systems. Targeted experiments and simulations identify contact-induced doping, effectively creating unintended chiral-helical interfaces, as a generic mechanism for quantization breakdown, which is mitigated by large area contacts that enhance edge-channel equilibration. Our findings establish metal screened graphene as a gate-tunable, interaction-driven helical system with quantized transport, spatially separable helical channels, and compatibility with superconducting proximity for topological devices.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Imaging Electron-Hole Asymmetry in the Quantum Melting of Generalized Wigner Crystals

Two-dimensional moiré materials provide a versatile platform to explore phase transitions in strongly correlated systems. Using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) we have imaged the density-driven melting of generalized Wigner crystals (GWCs) and Mott insulators (MIs) in electron-doped, near-60° twisted MoSe2 bilayers featuring a triangular moiré superlattice. We observe striking electron-hole asymmetry in GWC melting: hole-doped GWCs yield interaction-driven disordered states whereas electron-doped GWCs melt into delocalized liquid-like states. This asymmetry arises from the broken particle-hole symmetry of the moiré superlattice, which produces electron and hole Fermi pockets with different momentum geometries upon GWC condensation. MI states melt without such asymmetry, consistent with the absence of a symmetry-breaking density modulation. This work provides direct visualization of the novel emergent phases that appear as GWCs undergo quantum melting transitions.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Moiré-modulated $Γ$ valley in twisted bilayer and twisted double-bilayer MoTe$_2$

Twisted MoTe$_2$ hosts intriguing correlated quantum phenomena including the fractional quantum anomalous Hall effect in twisted bilayer (t-BL) MoTe$_2$ near 3.7$^\circ$, which is sensitive to the twist angle and moiré superlattices. Here, we directly visualize the twist-angle-modulated electronic structure of t-BL and twisted double-bilayer (t-DBL) near this critical angle. We find that the moiré superlattice not only modifies the relative energy between $Γ$ and K valleys in t-BL MoTe$_2$, but also strongly reconstructs the $Γ$ valley for both t-BL and t-DBL. Specifically, the deep $p_z$-derived band at $Γ$ exhibits a distinct splitting that systematically varies with increasing twist angle. Theoretical analysis suggests that this modulation arises from the twist-angle-dependent lattice relaxation, especially interfacial corrugations. Our work directly visualizes the moiré-modulated electronic structure and provides key spectroscopic information of lattice relaxation and interlayer interactions underlying the physics of twisted MoTe$_2$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

High-Temperature Activation of Single-Photon Emitters in monolayer WS2

Controlled activation of defect-bound excitonic states in two-dimensional semiconductors provides a route to isolated quantum emitters and a sensitive probe of defect physics. Here we demonstrate that \textit{in situ} high-temperature annealing of hBN-encapsulated monolayer WS$_2$ on a suspended microheater leads to the emergence of spectrally isolated single-photon emitters at cryogenic temperatures. Annealing at temperatures around 1100 K produces a sharp emission line, $X_L$, red-shifted by approximately 80 meV from the neutral exciton and exhibiting a linewidth below 200 $μ$eV. Photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy and power-dependent measurements show that $X_L$ originates from annealing-induced defects in the WS$_2$ monolayer, while second-order photon correlation measurements reveal clear antibunching with $g^{(2)}(0)<0.5$. These results establish high-temperature \textit{in situ} annealing as a controlled means to access defect-bound excitonic states and single-photon emission in van der Waals materials.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Time-resolved Charge Detection in Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Quantum Dots

We investigate electronic transport through gate-defined quantum dots in molybdenum disulfide MoS$_2$ using an integrated charge detector. We observe a crossover from two weakly coupled single dots to a strongly coupled double quantum dot. In the regime of extremely weak dot-lead coupling, where the direct transport current is below the detection limit, we measure the dot occupation via charge detection and access the few-electron regime. Due to the large band gap of MoS$_2$, tunneling rates can be sufficiently suppressed to resolve individual tunneling events. These results establish a platform for single-shot spin- and valley-to-charge conversion and highlight the potential of transition-metal dichalcogenide quantum dots for quantum information applications.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Fast Interlayer Energy Transfer from the Lower Bandgap MoS2 to the Higher Bandgap WS2

Energy transfer (ET) is a dipole-dipole interaction, mediated by the virtual photon. Traditionally, ET happens from the higher (donor) to lower bandgap (acceptor) material. However, in some rare instances, ET can happen from the lower-to-higher bandgap material, depending on the strong overlap between the acceptor photoluminescence (PL) and the donor absorption spectra. In this work, we report an ET process from the lower bandgap MoS2 to the higher bandgap WS2, due to a near 'resonant' overlap between the MoS2 B and WS2 A excitonic levels. Changing the MoS2 bandgap from direct-to-indirect by increasing the layer number results in a reduced ET rate, evidenced by the quenching of the WS2 PL emission. Our work shows at 300 K, the ET timescale of ~33 fs is faster than the reported thermalization of the MoS2 excitonic intervalley scattering (K to K') time and competing with the ultrafast charge transfer timescale. Thus, allowing us to open a new direction in understanding the competing inter/intralayer processes.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Nonreciprocal Transport with Quantum Geometric Origin in Layered Hybrid Perovskite

Quantum geometry quantifies how the electron wavefunction evolves distinctly from conventional transport theory. In noncentrosymmetric materials, nonreciprocal transport with quantum geometric origin remains prominent with localized charge independent of vanished group velocity. The discovery of such nonreciprocal and nonlinear responses was realized by recent advances in two-dimensional materials. As a promising candidate, the electronic structure and symmetry of layered hybrid perovskites can be deliberately designed and manipulated by incorporating selected organic ligands. Despite the observation of exotic photogalvanic effects and chiral optical effects, the underlying mechanism how these nonlinear responses are enabled in the multi-quantum well structures remained unclear. Here we demonstrated the quantum geometric origin for interlayer spontaneous photocurrent in (PEA)2PbI4. Contrary to assumptions that charge transport across the 2D planes is limited, we observed a spontaneous photocurrent along this crystalline orientation. Theoretical analysis using a tight-binding model identifies shift current as the microscopic origin. This quantum geometric effect is enabled by ionic displacements from centrosymmetric coordinates and enhanced by multiband transition high-density bands of the layered hybrid crystal. We anticipate that such unique low-dimensional systems with structure can provide fertile ground for discovering novel optoelectronic functionalities.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Bilayer Excitons in the Laughlin Fractional Quantum Hall State

The Laughlin state embodies a universal class of fractional quantum Hall effects arising in two-dimensional electron systems subjected to strong perpendicular magnetic fields. Conventionally described by a single-component wavefunction, the Laughlin state features fractionally charged quasiparticles arising from correlations within one electron species. Here, we explore a novel physical situation by introducing inter-species Coulomb coupling between two intra-species Laughlin states in a quantum Hall graphene bilayer structure. Although quasiparticle excitations typically exhibit charge gaps of tens of Kelvin, we observe that this energy scale is significantly lowered through interlayer excitonic pairing between quasiparticles and quasiholes. Identified via transport measurements, these excitons belong to an unprecedented category of charge-neutral anyons, opening a new avenue for investigating exotic quantum statistics and phases of matter.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

van der Waals Nanoreactors

Advancing the chemical synthesis of crystals is important for both fundamental research and practical applications of quantum materials. While established bulk-phase and thin-film growth methods have enabled enormous progress, synthesizing single crystals suitable for quantum electronic discoveries remains challenging for many emerging materials. Here, we introduce van der Waals (vdW) stacks as nanochemical reactors for single-crystal synthesis and demonstrate their broad applicability in growing both elemental and compound crystals at the micrometer scale. By encapsulating atomically thin reactants that are stacked compactly with inert vdW layers such as hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), we achieve nanoconfined synthesis with the resulting crystals remaining encapsulated. As proof of concept, we synthesized isolated single crystals of elemental tellurium and distinct types of Pd-Te compounds. Structural characterization, including atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy, confirms the high crystalline quality of the products. We confirm the intrinsic semiconducting gap of tellurium and observe that non-stoichiometric PdTe1-x with a significantly reduced Te content (x ~ 0.18, a regime not previously achieved) retains uniform crystallinity and exhibits superconductivity below a critical temperature of 3.8 K. This nanochemical synthesis is broadly generalizable, chip-integrable, well-suited to a wide range of processing conditions, and compatible with nanofabrication routines for constructing devices. The concept of vdW nanoreactors offers a powerful and versatile pathway to expand the accessible landscape of quantum materials.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Gate tuning of coupled electronic and structural phase transition in atomically thin Ta$_2$NiSe$_5$

Realizing an excitonic insulator phase from narrow-gap semiconductors remains challenging, as unambiguous experimental signatures are difficult to establish. Ta$_2$NiSe$_5$ has been widely regarded as a leading candidate, yet the nature of its phase transition and insulating state remains controversial. Here, we report a systematic Raman spectroscopy study of Ta$_2$NiSe$_5$ as a function of thickness and field-effect doping, complemented by electrical transport measurements. The phase transition persists down to the monolayer limit, with the critical temperature increasing as thickness decreases. In bilayer samples, both electron and hole doping suppress the insulating state, with electron doping lowering and hole doping raising the transition temperature. Importantly, the quasi-elastic scattering, previously attributed to excitonic fluctuations, evolves monotonically across the entire doping range, inconsistent with the expected suppression of excitonic correlations by Coulomb screening. These findings rule out a dominant excitonic mechanism and instead point to a coupled electronic and structural phase transition, whose stability is tunable by carrier doping. Our doping-based approach offers a general strategy for evaluating the role of excitonic effects in candidate excitonic insulators.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗