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Bilayer Wigner crystals in a transition metal dichalcogenide heterostructure

Author

Listed:
  • You Zhou

    (Harvard University
    Harvard University
    University of Maryland)

  • Jiho Sung

    (Harvard University
    Harvard University)

  • Elise Brutschea

    (Harvard University)

  • Ilya Esterlis

    (Harvard University)

  • Yao Wang

    (Harvard University
    Clemson University)

  • Giovanni Scuri

    (Harvard University)

  • Ryan J. Gelly

    (Harvard University)

  • Hoseok Heo

    (Harvard University
    Harvard University)

  • Takashi Taniguchi

    (National Institute for Materials Science)

  • Kenji Watanabe

    (National Institute for Materials Science)

  • Gergely Zaránd

    (Budapest University of Technology and Economics)

  • Mikhail D. Lukin

    (Harvard University)

  • Philip Kim

    (Harvard University
    Harvard University)

  • Eugene Demler

    (Harvard University
    ETH Zürich)

  • Hongkun Park

    (Harvard University
    Harvard University)

Abstract

One of the first theoretically predicted manifestations of strong interactions in many-electron systems was the Wigner crystal1–3, in which electrons crystallize into a regular lattice. The crystal can melt via either thermal or quantum fluctuations4. Quantum melting of the Wigner crystal is predicted to produce exotic intermediate phases5,6 and quantum magnetism7,8 because of the intricate interplay of Coulomb interactions and kinetic energy. However, studying two-dimensional Wigner crystals in the quantum regime has often required a strong magnetic field9–11 or a moiré superlattice potential12–15, thus limiting access to the full phase diagram of the interacting electron liquid. Here we report the observation of bilayer Wigner crystals without magnetic fields or moiré potentials in an atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenide heterostructure, which consists of two MoSe2 monolayers separated by hexagonal boron nitride. We observe optical signatures of robust correlated insulating states at symmetric (1:1) and asymmetric (3:1, 4:1 and 7:1) electron doping of the two MoSe2 layers at cryogenic temperatures. We attribute these features to bilayer Wigner crystals composed of two interlocked commensurate triangular electron lattices, stabilized by inter-layer interaction16. The Wigner crystal phases are remarkably stable, and undergo quantum and thermal melting transitions at electron densities of up to 6 × 1012 per square centimetre and at temperatures of up to about 40 kelvin. Our results demonstrate that an atomically thin heterostructure is a highly tunable platform for realizing many-body electronic states and probing their liquid–solid and magnetic quantum phase transitions4–8,17.

Suggested Citation

  • You Zhou & Jiho Sung & Elise Brutschea & Ilya Esterlis & Yao Wang & Giovanni Scuri & Ryan J. Gelly & Hoseok Heo & Takashi Taniguchi & Kenji Watanabe & Gergely Zaránd & Mikhail D. Lukin & Philip Kim & , 2021. "Bilayer Wigner crystals in a transition metal dichalcogenide heterostructure," Nature, Nature, vol. 595(7865), pages 48-52, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:595:y:2021:i:7865:d:10.1038_s41586-021-03560-w
    DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03560-w
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Ruishi Qi & Andrew Y. Joe & Zuocheng Zhang & Yongxin Zeng & Tiancheng Zheng & Qixin Feng & Jingxu Xie & Emma Regan & Zheyu Lu & Takashi Taniguchi & Kenji Watanabe & Sefaattin Tongay & Michael F. Cromm, 2023. "Thermodynamic behavior of correlated electron-hole fluids in van der Waals heterostructures," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-9, December.
    2. Xin Lu & Shihao Zhang & Yaning Wang & Xiang Gao & Kaining Yang & Zhongqing Guo & Yuchen Gao & Yu Ye & Zheng Han & Jianpeng Liu, 2023. "Synergistic correlated states and nontrivial topology in coupled graphene-insulator heterostructures," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-12, December.
    3. James G. McHugh & Xue Li & Isaac Soltero & Vladimir I. Fal’ko, 2024. "Two-dimensional electrons at mirror and twistronic twin boundaries in van der Waals ferroelectrics," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-7, December.
    4. Zhen Lian & Dongxue Chen & Lei Ma & Yuze Meng & Ying Su & Li Yan & Xiong Huang & Qiran Wu & Xinyue Chen & Mark Blei & Takashi Taniguchi & Kenji Watanabe & Sefaattin Tongay & Chuanwei Zhang & Yong-Tao , 2023. "Quadrupolar excitons and hybridized interlayer Mott insulator in a trilayer moiré superlattice," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-7, December.
    5. Xin Cong & Parisa Ali Mohammadi & Mingyang Zheng & Kenji Watanabe & Takashi Taniguchi & Daniel Rhodes & Xiao-Xiao Zhang, 2023. "Interplay of valley polarized dark trion and dark exciton-polaron in monolayer WSe2," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-7, December.

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