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We demonstrate ultrasharp (≲10 nm) lateral p-n junctions in graphene using electronic transport, scanning tunneling microscopy, and first-principles calculations. The p-n junction lies at the boundary between differentially doped regions of a graphene sheet, where one side is intrinsic and the other is charge-doped by proximity to a flake of α-RuCl

Competition among exchange interactions is able to induce novel spin correlations on a bipartite lattice without geometrical frustration. A prototype example is the spiral spin liquid, which is a correlated paramagnetic state characterized by sub-dimensional degenerate propagation vectors. Here, using spectral graph theory, we show that spiral spin liquids on a bipartite lattice can be approximated by a further-neighbor model on the corresponding line-graph lattice that is non-bipartite, thus broadening the space of candidate materials that may support the spiral spin liquid phases. As illustrations, we examine neutron scattering experiments performed on two spinel compounds, ZnCr$_2$Se$_4$ and CuInCr$_4$Se$_8$, to demonstrate the feasibility of this new approach and expose its possible limitations in experimental realizations., Comment: 20 pages, 18 figures

The quantum spin Hall (QSH) effect, characterized by topologically protected spin-polarized edge states, was recently demonstrated in monolayers of the transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) WTe

In the field of quantum spin liquids [1-3], the honeycomb magnet α-RuCl3 has attracted considerable interest because it is proximate to the Kitaev Hamiltonian HK [4-12]. In 2006, Kitaev [13] published the exact solution for the ground state of HK, and found that the excitations are Majoranas and vortices. The thermal Hall conductivity κxy of Majorana fermions is predicted to be half-quantized [13]. This effect has been reported in α-RuCl3 [17,18], but this observation has proven difficult to reproduce [19,20] and remains highly controversial. We report detailed measurements of the Onsager-like planar thermal Hall conductivity κxy in α-RuCl3, a spin-liquid candidate of topical interest. With the thermal current JQ and magnetic field B||a (zigzag axis), the observed κxy/T varies strongly with temperature T (1-10 K). Using a novel fitting procedure, we show that this temperature dependence matches the distinct form expected for topological bosonic modes in a Chern insulator-like model. Our analysis yields band energies that are in agreement with earlier experiments and that the excitations evolve into increasingly magnon-like modes at high B with a Chern number ≈ 1. The bosonic character is incompatible with half-quantization of κxy/T.

Second-harmonic generation has been applied to study lattice, electronic, and magnetic proprieties in atomically thin materials. However, inversion symmetry breaking is usually required for the materials to generate a large signal. In this work, we report a giant second-harmonic generation that arises below the Néel temperature in few-layer centrosymmetric FePS

The honeycomb magnet α-RuCl

Controlling the flow of charge neutral interlayer exciton (IX) quasiparticles can potentially lead to low loss excitonic circuits. Here, we report unidirectional transport of IXs along nanoscale electrostatically defined channels in an MoSe$_2$-WSe$_2$ heterostructure. These results are enabled by a lithographically defined triangular etch in a graphene gate to create a potential energy ''slide''. By performing spatially and temporally resolved photoluminescence measurements, we measure smoothly varying IX energy along the structure and high-speed exciton flow with a drift velocity up to 2 * 10$^6$ cm/s, an order of magnitude larger than previous experiments. Furthermore, exciton flow can be controlled by saturating exciton population in the channel using a second laser pulse, demonstrating an optically gated excitonic transistor. Our work paves the way towards low loss excitonic circuits, the study of bosonic transport in one-dimensional channels, and custom potential energy landscapes for excitons in van der Waals heterostructures.

The ability to create nanometer-scale lateral p-n junctions is essential for the next generation of two-dimensional (2D) devices. Using the charge-transfer heterostructure graphene/α-RuCl

Second harmonic generation has been applied to study lattice, electronic and magnetic proprieties in atomically thin materials. However, inversion symmetry breaking is usually required for the materials to generate a large signal. In this work, we report a giant second-harmonic generation that arises below the N\'eel temperature in few-layer centrosymmetric FePS$_3$. Layer-dependent study indicates the detected signal is from the second-order nonlinearity of the surface. The magnetism-induced surface second-harmonic response is two orders of magnitude larger than those reported in other magnetic systems, with the surface nonlinear susceptibility reaching 0.08--0.13 nm$^2$/V in 2 L--5 L samples. By combing linear dichroism and second harmonic generation experiments, we further confirm the giant second-harmonic generation is coupled to nematic orders formed by the three possible Zigzag antiferromagnetic domains. Our study shows that the surface second-harmonic generation is also a sensitive tool to study antiferromagnetic states in centrosymmetric atomically thin materials., Comment: to appear in Nano Letters

The quantum spin Hall (QSH) effect, characterized by topologically protected spin-polarized edge states, was recently demonstrated in monolayers of the transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) WTe2. However, the robustness of this topological protection remains largely unexplored in van der Waals heterostructures containing one or more layers of a QSH insulator. In this work, we use scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy (STM/STS) to explore the topological nature of twisted bilayer (tBL) WTe2. At the tBL edges, we observe the characteristic spectroscopic signatures of the QSH edge states. For small twist angles, a rectangular moiré pattern develops, which results in local modifications of the band structure. Using first-principles calculations, we quantify the interactions in tBL WTe2 and its topological edge states as a function of interlayer distance and conclude that it is possible to engineer the topology of WTe2 bilayers via the twist angle as well as interlayer interactions.

We have developed a sensitive cryogenic second-harmonic generation microscopy to study a van der Waals antiferromagnet MnPS_{3}. We find that long-range Néel antiferromagnetic order develops from the bulk crystal down to the bilayer, while it is absent in the monolayer. Before entering the long-range antiferromagnetic ordered phase in all samples, an upturn of the second harmonic generation below 200 K indicates the formation of the short-range order and magnetoelastic coupling. We also directly image the two antiphase (180°) antiferromagnetic domains and thermally induced domain switching down to bilayer. An anomalous mirror symmetry breaking shows up in samples thinner than ten layers for the temperature both above and below the Néel temperature, which indicates a structural change in few-layer samples. Minimal change of the second harmonic generation polar patterns in strain tuning experiments indicate that the symmetry crossover at ten layers is most likely an intrinsic property of MnPS_{3} instead of an extrinsic origin of substrate-induced strain. Our results show that second harmonic generation microscopy is a direct tool for studying antiferromagnetic domains in atomically thin materials, and opens a new way to study two-dimensional antiferromagnets.

We report the fabrication of hexagonal-boron-nitride (hBN) encapsulated multiterminal WSe

Transition metal dichalcogenide moiré bilayers with spatially periodic potentials have emerged as a highly tunable platform for studying both electronic

Spin-orbit torque (SOT)-driven deterministic control of the magnetic state of a ferromagnet with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy is key to next-generation spintronic applications including non-volatile, ultrafast and energy-efficient data-storage devices. However, field-free deterministic switching of perpendicular magnetization remains a challenge because it requires an out-of-plane antidamping torque, which is not allowed in conventional spin-source materials such as heavy metals and topological insulators due to the system's symmetry. The exploitation of low-crystal symmetries in emergent quantum materials offers a unique approach to achieve SOTs with unconventional forms. Here we report an experimental realization of field-free deterministic magnetic switching of a perpendicularly polarized van der Waals magnet employing an out-of-plane antidamping SOT generated in layered WTe

Atmospheric and long-term aging effects on electrical properties of WSe

The formation of moiré patterns in crystalline solids can be used to manipulate their electronic properties, which are fundamentally influenced by periodic potential landscapes. In two-dimensional materials, a moiré pattern with a superlattice potential can be formed by vertically stacking two layered materials with a twist and/or a difference in lattice constant. This approach has led to electronic phenomena including the fractal quantum Hall effect

In this paper, high performance top-gated WSe