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Signatures of fractional quantum anomalous Hall states in twisted MoTe2

Author

Listed:
  • Jiaqi Cai

    (University of Washington)

  • Eric Anderson

    (University of Washington)

  • Chong Wang

    (University of Washington)

  • Xiaowei Zhang

    (University of Washington)

  • Xiaoyu Liu

    (University of Washington)

  • William Holtzmann

    (University of Washington)

  • Yinong Zhang

    (University of Washington)

  • Fengren Fan

    (University of Hong Kong
    HKU-UCAS Joint Institute of Theoretical and Computational Physics at Hong Kong)

  • Takashi Taniguchi

    (National Institute for Materials Science)

  • Kenji Watanabe

    (National Institute for Materials Science)

  • Ying Ran

    (Boston College)

  • Ting Cao

    (University of Washington)

  • Liang Fu

    (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

  • Di Xiao

    (University of Washington
    University of Washington)

  • Wang Yao

    (University of Hong Kong
    HKU-UCAS Joint Institute of Theoretical and Computational Physics at Hong Kong)

  • Xiaodong Xu

    (University of Washington
    University of Washington)

Abstract

The interplay between spontaneous symmetry breaking and topology can result in exotic quantum states of matter. A celebrated example is the quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) state, which exhibits an integer quantum Hall effect at zero magnetic field owing to intrinsic ferromagnetism1–3. In the presence of strong electron–electron interactions, fractional QAH (FQAH) states at zero magnetic field can emerge4–8. These states could host fractional excitations, including non-Abelian anyons—crucial building blocks for topological quantum computation9. Here we report experimental signatures of FQAH states in a twisted molybdenum ditelluride (MoTe2) bilayer. Magnetic circular dichroism measurements reveal robust ferromagnetic states at fractionally hole-filled moiré minibands. Using trion photoluminescence as a sensor10, we obtain a Landau fan diagram showing linear shifts in carrier densities corresponding to filling factor v = −2/3 and v = −3/5 ferromagnetic states with applied magnetic field. These shifts match the Streda formula dispersion of FQAH states with fractionally quantized Hall conductance of $${\sigma }_{xy}=-\,\frac{2}{3}\frac{{e}^{2}}{h}$$ σ x y = − 2 3 e 2 h and $${\sigma }_{xy}=-\,\frac{3}{5}\frac{{e}^{2}}{h}$$ σ x y = − 3 5 e 2 h , respectively. Moreover, the v = −1 state exhibits a dispersion corresponding to Chern number −1, consistent with the predicted QAH state11–14. In comparison, several non-ferromagnetic states on the electron-doping side do not disperse, that is, they are trivial correlated insulators. The observed topological states can be electrically driven into topologically trivial states. Our findings provide evidence of the long-sought FQAH states, demonstrating MoTe2 moiré superlattices as a platform for exploring fractional excitations.

Suggested Citation

  • Jiaqi Cai & Eric Anderson & Chong Wang & Xiaowei Zhang & Xiaoyu Liu & William Holtzmann & Yinong Zhang & Fengren Fan & Takashi Taniguchi & Kenji Watanabe & Ying Ran & Ting Cao & Liang Fu & Di Xiao & W, 2023. "Signatures of fractional quantum anomalous Hall states in twisted MoTe2," Nature, Nature, vol. 622(7981), pages 63-68, October.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:622:y:2023:i:7981:d:10.1038_s41586-023-06289-w
    DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06289-w
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Feng-Ren Fan & Cong Xiao & Wang Yao, 2024. "Intrinsic dipole Hall effect in twisted MoTe2: magnetoelectricity and contact-free signatures of topological transitions," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-7, December.
    2. Richen Xiong & Samuel L. Brantly & Kaixiang Su & Jacob H. Nie & Zihan Zhang & Rounak Banerjee & Hayley Ruddick & Kenji Watanabe & Takashi Taniguchi & Seth Ariel Tongay & Cenke Xu & Chenhao Jin, 2024. "Tunable exciton valley-pseudospin orders in moiré superlattices," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-10, December.
    3. Zechen Tang & He Li & Peize Lin & Xiaoxun Gong & Gan Jin & Lixin He & Hong Jiang & Xinguo Ren & Wenhui Duan & Yong Xu, 2024. "A deep equivariant neural network approach for efficient hybrid density functional calculations," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-9, December.
    4. Jesse C. Hoke & Yifan Li & Julian May-Mann & Kenji Watanabe & Takashi Taniguchi & Barry Bradlyn & Taylor L. Hughes & Benjamin E. Feldman, 2024. "Uncovering the spin ordering in magic-angle graphene via edge state equilibration," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-7, December.
    5. Xiao-Wei Zhang & Chong Wang & Xiaoyu Liu & Yueyao Fan & Ting Cao & Di Xiao, 2024. "Polarization-driven band topology evolution in twisted MoTe2 and WSe2," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-8, December.

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