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Flat bands and nontrivial topological physics are two important topics of condensed matter physics. With a unique stacking configuration analogous to the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) model, rhombohedral graphite (RG) is a potential candidate for realizing both flat bands and nontrivial topological physics. Here we report experimental evidence of topological flat bands (TFBs) on the surface of bulk RG, which are topologically protected by bulk helical Dirac nodal lines via the bulk-boundary correspondence. Moreover, upon {\it in situ} electron doping, the surface TFBs show a splitting with exotic doping evolution, with an order-of-magnitude increase in the bandwidth of the lower split band, and pinning of the upper band near the Fermi level. These experimental observations together with Hartree-Fock calculations suggest that correlation effects are important in this system. Our results demonstrate RG as a new platform for investigating the rich interplay between nontrivial band topology, correlation effects, and interaction-driven symmetry-broken states., Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures

On flat bands of the magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene, exotic correlation physics unfolds. Phonons, through mediating an effective electron-electron interaction, can play a crucial role in selecting various electronic phases. In this study, we derive the full electron-phonon coupling (EPC) vertex from the microscopic tight-binding lattice, and identify the significance of each phonon mode. We then project the EPC vertices onto the topological heavy fermion (THF) basis [Song and Bernevig, Phys. Rev. Lett. 129, 047601 (2022)], and show that an anti-Hund's interaction $\hat{H}_{\rm A}$ is induced on each moir\'e-scale local $f$-orbital, with strengths 1 to 4 meV. We analyze the phonon-induced multiplet splittings, which can significantly affect the local correlation. As an example, we elaborate on the phonon-favored symmetry-breaking orders at even-integer fillings. Through systematic self-consistent Hartree-Fock calculations, we uncover a tight competition between $\Gamma$-phonon-favored orbital orders, $K$-phonon-favored inter-valley coherent orders, and the kinetic and Coulomb-favored orders. Contrary to EPC, the carbon atom Hubbard repulsion induces an on-$f$-site Hund's interaction $\hat{H}_{\rm H}$ with strengths 1 to 3 meV that partly counteracts the effect of $\hat{H}_{\rm A}$. The combined influence of $\hat{H}_{\rm A,H}$ on the multiplet splitting and symmetry-breaking states is discussed. In the end, we explore the possibility of finding an exotic Dirac semi-metal formed solely by $c$-electrons at the charge-neutrality point, while $f$-impurities exhibit a symmetric Mott gap by forming non-degenerate singlets under $\hat{H}_{\rm A,H}$. Experimental features that distinguish such a state are discussed.

In twisted bilayer graphene (TBG) devices, local strains often coexist and entangle with the twist-angle dependent moir\'e superlattice, both of which can significantly affect the electronic properties of TBG. Here, using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy, we investigate the fine evolution of the electronic structures of a TBG device with continuous variation of twist angles from 0.32{\deg} to 1.29{\deg}, spanning the first (1.1{\deg}), second (0.5{\deg}) and third (0.3{\deg}) magic angles. We reveal the exotic behavior of the flat bands and remote bands in both the energy space and real space near the magic angles. Interestingly, we observe an anomalous spectral weight transfer between the two flat band peaks in the tunneling spectra when approaching the first magic angle, suggesting strong inter-flat-bands interactions. The position of the remote band peak can be an index for the twist angle in TBG, since it positively correlates with the twist angle but is insensitive to the strain. Moreover, influences of the twist angle gradient on symmetry breaking of the flat bands are also studied.

Recent experiments suggest that low carrier density three-dimensional (3D) metals ZrTe$_5$ and HfTe$_5$ exhibit the 3D quantum Hall (QH) effect with Hall resistivity plateaus and a metal-insulator transition in strong magnetic fields. The conventional 3D QH theory requires a fixed period charge density wave (CDW), which is however not observed experimentally. We investigate alternative non-CDW mechanisms by considering a 3D metal in strong magnetic fields with electrons coupled to a boson (e.g., phonon) field. We show that the model exhibits inevitable first order phase transitions at jumps of the number of occupied Landau level bands, which do not involve CDW. These transitions may drive the system into a phase separation state with percolation transitions. We further show this can lead to Hall resistivity quasi-plateaus similar to that observed experimentally, and can provide a natural explanation for the metal-insulator transition., Comment: 3+1 figures

We study the probability distribution of the resistance, or equivalently the charge transmission, of a decoherent quantum Hall-superconductor edge, with the decoherence coming from metallic puddles along the edge. Such metallic puddles may originate from magnetic vortex cores or other superconductivity suppressing perturbations. In contrast to the distribution of a coherent edge which is peaked away from zero charge transmission, we show analytically and numerically that the distribution of a decoherent edge with metallic puddles is always peaked at zero charge transmission, which serves as a probe of coherence of superconducting chiral edge states. We further show that the distribution width decays exponentially in magnetic field and temperature. Our theoretical decoherent distribution agrees well with the recent experimental observation in graphene with superconducting proximity., Comment: 7+4 pages, 3+1 figures

The one-dimensional quantum breakdown model, which features spatially asymmetric fermionic interactions simulating the electrical breakdown phenomenon, exhibits an exponential U(1) symmetry and a variety of dynamical phases including many-body localization and quantum chaos with quantum scar states. We investigate the minimal quantum breakdown model with the minimal number of on-site fermion orbitals required for the interaction, and identify a large number of local conserved charges in the model. We then reveal a mapping between the minimal quantum breakdown model in certain charge sectors and a quantum link model which simulates the U(1) lattice gauge theory, and show that the local conserved charges map to the gauge symmetry generators. A special charge sector of the model further maps to the PXP model, which shows quantum many-body scars. This mapping unveils the rich dynamics in different Krylov subspaces characterized by different gauge configurations in the quantum breakdown model., Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures

Relaxed quantum systems with conservation laws are believed to be approximated by the Generalized Gibbs Ensemble (GGE), which incorporates the constraints of certain conserved quantities serving as integrals of motion. By drawing analogy between reduced density matrix and GGE, we demonstrate for free fermions a generic entanglement Hamiltonian superdensity matrix (EHSM) framework for determining the set of conserved quantities in GGE. The framework proposes that such conserved quantities are linear superposition of eigenstate entanglement Hamiltonians of a larger auxiliary system, where the eigenstates are Fock states occupying the common eigenmodes. For 1D homogeneous free fermions with periodic boundary condition, which maps to 1D hardcore bosons, these conserved quantities lead to an non-Abelian GGE, which predicts the relaxation of both fermion and boson bilinears more accurately than the conventional Abelian GGE. Generalization of the framework to interacting models may provide novel numerical insights for quantum integrability., Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures

We propose a theory for how the weak phonon-mediated interaction ($J_{\rm A}\!=\!1\!\sim\!4$meV) wins over the prohibitive Coulomb repulsion ($U\!=\!30\!\sim\!60$meV) and leads to a superconductor in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene (MATBG). We find the pairing mechanism akin to that in the A$_3$C$_{60}$ family of molecular superconductors: Each AA stacking region of MATBG resembles a C$_{60}$ molecule, in that optical phonons can dynamically lift the degeneracy of the moir\'e orbitals, in analogy to the dynamical Jahn-Teller effect. Such induced $J_{\rm A}$ has the form of an inter-valley anti-Hund's coupling and is less suppressed than $U$ by the Kondo screening near a Mott insulator. Additionally, we also considered an intra-orbital Hund's coupling $J_{\rm H}$ that originates from the on-site repulsion of a carbon atom. Under a reasonable approximation of the realistic model, we prove that the renormalized local interaction between quasi-particles must have a pairing (negative) channel in a doped correlated insulator at $\nu=\pm(2+\delta\nu)$, albeit the bare interaction is positive definite. The proof is non-perturbative and based on exact asymptotic behaviors of the vertex function imposed by Ward identities. Existence of an optimal $U$ for superconductivity is predicted. We also analyzed the pairing symmetry. In a large area of the parameter space of $J_{\rm A}$, $J_{\rm H}$, the ground state has a nematic $d$-wave singlet pairing, which, however, can lead to a $p$-wave-like nodal structure due to the Berry's phase on Fermi surfaces (or Euler obstruction).

We introduce a one-dimensional (1D) extended quantum breakdown model comprising a fermionic and a spin degree of freedom per site, and featuring a spatially asymmetric breakdown-type interaction between the fermions and spins. We analytically show that, in the absence of any magnetic field for the spins, the model exhibits Hilbert space fragmentation within each symmetry sector into exponentially many Krylov subspaces and hence displays non-thermal dynamics. Here, we demonstrate that the fragmentation naturally occurs in an entangled basis and thus provides an example of "quantum fragmentation." Besides establishing the nature of fragmentation analytically, we also study the long-time behavior of the entanglement entropy and its deviation from the expected Page value as a probe of ergodicity in the system. Upon introducing a non-trivial magnetic field for the spins, most of the Krylov subspaces merge and the model becomes chaotic. Finally, we study the effects of strong randomness on the system and observe behavior similar to that of many-body localized systems., Comment: 30 pages, 13 figures

We propose a bosonic quantum breakdown Hubbard model, which generalizes the Bose-Hubbard model by adding an asymmetric breakdown interaction turning one boson into two between adjacent sites. We show that the ground state undergoes a first-order phase transition from Mott insulator to breakdown condensate as the breakdown interaction increases. When the normal hopping is zero, this model has a global exponential U(1) symmetry, which is spontaneously broken by the breakdown condensate, while the Mott-condensate transition remains first order. Surprisingly, the breakdown condensate with spontaneously broken exponential U(1) symmetry does not have a gapless Goldstone mode, which invalidates the Mermin-Wagner theorem and leads to stable spontaneous symmetry breaking in 1D. Moreover, we show that the model at non-equilibrium exhibits a dynamical transition from dielectric phase to breakdown phase with respect to the breakdown interaction. Our results show that quantum systems with exponential symmetry can exhibit novel unexpected properties., Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, including the supplemental materials

We propose a two-dimensional (2d) quantum breakdown model of hardcore bosons interacting with disordered spins, which resembles particles incident into supersaturated vapor. The model exhibits a strong fragmentation into Krylov subspaces in each symmetry sector. The Hamiltonian in each Krylov subspace maps to a single-particle problem in a Cayley tree-like graph, which enters a 2d many-body localization (MBL) phase beyond certain disorder strength $W_*$, as indicated by Poisson level spacing statistics and entanglement entropy growing as $\log t$ with time $t$. Our theoretical arguments suggest $W_*$ is finite or zero for boson number $N_b\lesssim L^\gamma/\log L$ ($1/2\le \gamma \le 1$) as system size $L\rightarrow\infty$. At zero disorder, the model also exhibits fully or partially solvable features, such as degenerate quantum scar states., Comment: 5+5 pages, 4+4 figures

Recent experiments in twisted bilayer WTe$_2$ revealed the existence of anisotropic Luttinger liquid behavior. To generically characterize such anisotropic twisted bilayer systems, we study a model of a twisted bilayer of two-dimensional (2D) arrays of coupled wires, which effectively form an array of coupled moir\'e wires. We solve the model by the transfer matrix method, and identify quasi-1D electron bands in the system at small twist angles. With electron interactions added, we show that the moir\'e wires have an effective Luttinger parameter $g_\text{eff}$ much lower than that of the microscopic wires. This leads to a sliding Luttinger liquid (SLL) temperature regime, in which power-law current voltage relations arise. For parameters partly estimated from WTe$_2$, a microscopic interaction $U\sim0.7$eV yields a temperature regime of SLL similar to that in the WTe$_2$ experiments.

We develop a method to derive the exact formula of entanglement entropy for generic inhomogeneous conformal field theory (CFT) quantum quenches with open boundary condition (OBC), which characterizes the generic boundary effect unresolved by analytical methods in the past. We identify the generic OBC quenches with Euclidean path integrals in complicated spacetime geometries, and we show that a special class of OBC quenches, including the M\"obius and sine-square-deformation quenches, have simple boundary effects calculable from Euclidean path integrals in a simple strip spacetime geometry. We verify that our generic CFT formula matches well with free fermion tight-binding model numerical calculations for various quench problems with OBC. Our method can be easily generalized to calculate any local quantities expressible as one-point functions in such quantum quench problems., Comment: 5+11 pages, 3+2 figures

Kekul\'e-O order in graphene, which has recently been realized experimentally, induces Dirac electron masses on the order of $m \sim 100 \text{meV}$. We show that twisted bilayer graphene in which one or both layers have Kekul\'e-O order exhibits nontrivial flat electronic bands on honeycomb and kagome lattices. When only one layer has Kekul\'e-O order, there is a parameter regime for which the lowest four bands at charge neutrality form an isolated two-orbital honeycomb lattice model with two flat bands. The bandwidths are minimal at a magic twist angle $\theta \approx 0.7^\circ$ and Dirac mass $m \approx 100 \text{meV}$. When both layers have Kekul\'e-O order, there is a large parameter regime around $\theta\approx 1^\circ$ and $m\gtrsim 100 \text{meV}$ in which the lowest three valence and conduction bands at charge neutrality each realize isolated kagome lattice models with one flat band, while the next three valence and conduction bands are flat bands on triangular lattices. These flat band systems may provide a new platform for strongly correlated phases of matter., Comment: 19 pages, 8 figures

Non-Hermitian band theory distinguishes between line gaps and point gaps. While point gaps can give rise to intrinsic non-Hermitian band topology without Hermitian counterparts, line-gapped systems can always be adiabatically deformed to a Hermitian limit. Here we show that line-gap topology and point-gap topology can be intricately connected: topological line-gapped systems in $d$ dimensions induce nontrivial point-gap topology on their $(d-1)$-dimensional boundaries when suitable internal and spatial symmetries are present. Since line-gapped systems essentially realize Hermitian topological phases, this establishes a correspondence between Hermitian bulk topology and intrinsic non-Hermitian boundary topology. For the correspondence to hold, no non-Hermitian perturbations are required in the bulk itself, so that the bulk can be purely Hermitian. Concomitantly, the presence of non-Hermitian perturbations in the bulk does not affect any results as long as they do not close the bulk line gap. On the other hand, non-Hermitian perturbations are essential on the boundary to open a point gap. The non-Hermitian boundary topology then further leads to higher-order skin modes, as well as chiral and helical hinge modes, that are protected by point gaps and hence unique to non-Hermitian systems. We identify all the internal symmetry classes where bulk line-gap topology induces boundary point-gap topology as long as an additional spatial symmetry is present, and establish the correspondence between their topological invariants. There also exist some symmetry classes where the Hermitian edge states remain stable, in the sense that even a point gap cannot open on the boundary., Comment: 17 pages, 6 figures, accepted manuscript

We propose a class of graphene-based moir\'e systems hosting flat bands on kagome and honeycomb moir\'e superlattices. These systems are formed by stacking a graphene layer on a 2D substrate with lattice constant approximately $\sqrt{3}$ times that of graphene. When the moir\'e potentials are induced by a 2D irreducible corepresentation in the substrate, the model shows a rich phase diagram of low energy bands including eigenvalue fragile phases as well as kagome and honeycomb flat bands. Spin-orbit coupling in the substrate can lift symmetry protected degeneracies and create spin Chern bands, and we observe spin Chern numbers up to three. We additionally propose a moir\'e system formed by stacking two graphene-like layers with similar lattice constants and Fermi energies but with Dirac Fermi velocities of opposite sign. This system exhibits multiple kagome and honeycomb flat bands simultaneously. Both models we propose resemble the hypermagic model of [Scheer $\textit{et al.}$, Phys. Rev. B $\textbf{106}$, 115418 (2022)] and may provide ideal platforms for the realization of strongly correlated topological phases., Comment: 43 pages, 8 figures

Superconducting topological metals (SCTMs) have recently emerged as a promising platform of topological superconductivity (TSC) and Majorana zero modes(MZMs) for quantum computation. Despite their importance in both fundamental research and applications, SCTMs are very rare in nature. In addition, some superconductors with topological electronic structures have been reported recently, but a feasible program to determine their TSC properties is still lacking. Here, we propose a new strategy to design SCTMs by intercalating the superconducting units into the topological insulators. A program that characterizes the superconducting BdG Chern number of 2D BdG Hamiltonian from ab initio calculations is also developed. Following this strategy, PdBi$_2$Te$_5$ and PdBi$_2$Te$_4$ are found to be experimentally synthesizable and ideal SCTMs. Chiral TSC could be realized in such SCTMs by incorporating topological surface states with Zeeman effect, which can be realized by an external magnetic field or in proximity to ferromagnetic (FM) insulator. Our strategy provides a new method for identifying the SCTMs and TSC candidates, and the program makes it possible to design and modulate the TSC candidates from ab initio calculations.

Kagome lattices host flat bands due to their frustrated lattice geometry, which leads to destructive quantum interference of electron wave functions. Here, we report imaging of the kagome flat band localization in real-space using scanning tunneling microscopy. We identify both the Fe3Sn kagome lattice layer and the Sn2 honeycomb layer with atomic resolution in kagome antiferromagnet FeSn. On the Fe3Sn lattice, at the flat band energy determined by the angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy, tunneling spectroscopy detects an unusual state localized uniquely at the Fe kagome lattice network. We further show that the vectorial in-plane magnetic field manipulates the spatial anisotropy of the localization state within each kagome unit cell. Our results are consistent with the real-space flat band localization in the magnetic kagome lattice. We further discuss the magnetic tuning of flat band localization under the spin-orbit coupled magnetic kagome lattice model., Comment: To appear in Communications Materials

A kagome lattice naturally features Dirac fermions, flat bands and van Hove singularities in its electronic structure. The Dirac fermions encode topology, flat bands favour correlated phenomena such as magnetism, and van Hove singularities can lead to instabilities towards long-range many-body orders, altogether allowing for the realization and discovery of a series of topological kagome magnets and superconductors with exotic properties. Recent progress in exploring kagome materials has revealed rich emergent phenomena resulting from the quantum interactions between geometry, topology, spin and correlation. Here we review these key developments in this field, starting from the fundamental concepts of a kagome lattice, to the realizations of Chern and Weyl topological magnetism, to various flat-band many-body correlations, and then to the puzzles of unconventional charge-density waves and superconductivity. We highlight the connection between theoretical ideas and experimental observations, and the bond between quantum interactions within kagome magnets and kagome superconductors, as well as their relation to the concepts in topological insulators, topological superconductors, Weyl semimetals and high-temperature superconductors. These developments broadly bridge topological quantum physics and correlated many-body physics in a wide range of bulk materials and substantially advance the frontier of topological quantum matter.

We define the entanglement entropy of free fermion quantum states in an arbitrary spacetime slice of a discrete set of points, and particularly investigate timelike (causal) slices. For 1D lattice free fermions with an energy bandwidth $E_0$, we calculate the time-direction entanglement entropy $S_A$ in a time-direction slice of a set of times $t_n=n\tau$ ($1\le n\le K$) spanning a time length $t$ on the same site. For zero temperature ground states, we find that $S_A$ shows volume law when $\tau\gg\tau_0=2\pi/E_0$; in contrast, $S_A\sim \frac{1}{3}\ln t$ when $\tau=\tau_0$, and $S_A\sim\frac{1}{6}\ln t$ when $\tau<\tau_0$, resembling the Calabrese-Cardy formula for one flavor of nonchiral and chiral fermion, respectively. For finite temperature thermal states, the mutual information also saturates when $\tau<\tau_0$. For non-eigenstates, volume law in $t$ and signatures of the Lieb-Robinson bound velocity can be observed in $S_A$. For generic spacetime slices with one point per site, the zero temperature entanglement entropy shows a clear transition from area law to volume law when the slice varies from spacelike to timelike.

We propose a quantum model of fermions simulating the electrical breakdown process of dielectrics. The model consists of $M$ sites with $N$ fermion modes per site, and has a conserved charge $Q$. It has an on-site chemical potential $\mu$ with disorder $W$, and an interaction of strength $J$ restricting each fermion to excite two more fermions when moving forward by one site. We show the $N=3$ model with disorder $W=0$ show a Hilbert space fragmentation and is exactly solvable except for very few Krylov subspaces. The analytical solution shows that the $N=3$ model exhibits many-body localization (MBL) as $M\rightarrow\infty$, which is stable against $W>0$ as our exact diagonalization (ED) shows. At $N>3$, our ED suggests a MBL to quantum chaos crossover at small $W$ as $M/N$ decreases across $1$, and persistent MBL at large $W$. At $W=0$, an exactly solvable many-body scar flat band exists in many charge $Q$ sectors, which has a nonzero measure in the thermodynamic limit. We further calculate the time evolution of a fermion added to the particle vacuum, which shows a breakdown (dielectric) phase when $\mu/J<1/2$ ($\mu/J>1/2$) if $W\ll J$, and no breakdown if $W\gg J$., Comment: 21+8 pages, 17+5 figures

Kagome magnets provide a fascinating platform for a plethora of topological quantum phenomena. Here, utilizing angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we demonstrate Weyl lines with strong out-of-plane dispersion in an A-A stacked kagome magnet TbxGd1-xMn6Sn6. On the Gd rich side, the Weyl line remains nearly spin-orbit-gapless due to a remarkable cooperative interplay between Kane-Mele spin-orbit-coupling, low site symmetry and in-plane magnetic order. Under Tb substitution, the kagome Weyl line gaps due to a magnetic reorientation to out-of-plane order. Our results illustrate the magnetic moment direction as an efficient tuning knob for realizing distinct three-dimensional topological phases., Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures. Comments are welcome!

The Bistritzer-MacDonald continuum model (BM model) describes the low-energy moir\'e bands for twisted bilayer graphene (TBG) at small twist angles. We derive a generalized continuum model for TBG near any commensurate twist angle, which is characterized by complex interlayer hoppings at commensurate $AA$ stackings (rather than the real hoppings in the BM model), a real interlayer hopping at commensurate $AB/BA$ stackings, and a global energy shift. The complex phases of the $AA$ stacking hoppings and the twist angle together define a single angle parameter $\phi_0$. We compute the model parameters for the first six distinct commensurate TBG configurations, among which the $38.2^\circ$ configuration may be within experimentally observable energy scales. We identify the first magic angle for any $\phi_0$ at a condition similar to that of the BM model. At this angle, the lowest two moir\'e bands at charge neutrality become flat except near the $\boldsymbol\Gamma_M$ point and retain fragile topology but lose particle-hole symmetry. We further identify a hypermagic parameter regime centered at $\phi_0 = \pm\pi/2$ where many moir\'e bands around charge neutrality (often $8$ or more) become flat simultaneously. Many of these flat bands resemble those in the kagome lattice and $p_x$, $p_y$ 2-orbital honeycomb lattice tight-binding models., Comment: 49 pages, 22 figures, accepted by Physical Review B

We study a generic one-dimensonal quantum model of two flavors (pseudospins) chiral complex fermions by exact diagonalization, which can have local interflavor interaction and superconducting pairings (with all irrelevant terms ignored). Analytically, the model has two solvable (integrable) points in the parameter space: it is a free fermion model when the fermion interaction is zero, and is a free boson Luttinger liquid when there is a global U(1)$^{(\uparrow)}\times$U(1)$^{(\downarrow)}$ symmetry (with nonzero interaction). When the global symmetry of the interacting model is lowered by turning on symmetry breaking parameters, the model undergoes a transition from a quantum integrable model to a fully quantum chaotic model, as we demonstrate by examining the level spacing statistics (LSS) of the many-body energy spectrum. In particular, there is a possibly integrable regime with intermediate global symmetries, where the model is neither free bosons nor free fermions, but shows Poisson LSS in each global symmetry charge sector. This implies the existence of hidden (quasi)local conserved quantities. When the global symmetries are further lowered, the LSS in each charge sector becomes Wigner-Dyson, implying quantum chaos., Comment: A Chapter for the Chen-Ning Yang Centenary Festschrift

Our friend and colleague, Prof. Shoucheng Zhang, passed away in 2018, which was a great loss for the entire physics community. For all of us who knew Shoucheng, it is difficult to overcome the sadness and shock of his early departure. However, we are very fortunate that Shoucheng has left us such a rich legacy and so many memories in his 55 years of life as a valuable friend, a world-leading physicist, a remarkable advisor, and a great thinker. On May 2-4, 2019, a memorial workshop for Shoucheng was organized at Stanford University, where we displayed a small exhibition of 12 posters, as a brief overview of Shoucheng's wonderful scientific life. This article is prepared based on those posters.

We investigate the homogeneous chiral edge theory of the filling $\nu=4/3$ fractional quantum Hall state, which is parameterized by a Luttinger liquid velocity matrix and an electron tunneling amplitude (ignoring irrelevant terms). We identify two solvable cases: one case where the theory gives two free chiral boson modes, and the other case where the theory yields one free charge $\frac{2e}{\sqrt{3}}$ chiral fermion and two free chiral Bogoliubov (Majorana) fermions. For generic parameters, the energy spectrum from our exact diagonalization shows Poisson level spacing statistics (LSS) in each conserved charge and momentum sector, indicating the existence of hidden conserved quantities and the possibility that the generic edge theory of the $\nu=4/3$ fractional quantum Hall state is integrable. We further show that a global symmetry preserving irrelevant nonlinear kinetic term will lead to the transition of LSS from Poisson to Wigner-Dyson at high energies. This further supports the possibility that the model without irrelevant terms is integrable., Comment: 7+9 pages, 3+3 figures

We construct and study a chiral Sachdev-Ye (SY) model consisting of $N$ chiral SU$(M)_1$ Wess-Zumino-Witten (WZW) models with current-current interactions among each other, which generalizes the 0+1d quantum chaotic SY spin model into 1+1d chiral system with anyon excitations. Each WZW model hosts Abelian anyons as charge excitations, and may arise as the chiral edge theory of 2+1d gapped topological phases. We solve the chiral SY model in two limits which show distinct quantum dynamics. The first limit is the case with uniform interactions at any integers $N$ and $M$, which is integrable and decomposes into a chiral SU$(M)_N$ WZW model and its coset with different "speed of light". When $N=M=2$, the model maps to a free Majorana fermion model. The second limit is the large $N$ and $M$ limit with random interactions, which is solvable to the leading $\frac{1}{NM}$ order, and exhibits many-body quantum chaos in the out-of-time-ordered correlation of anyons. As the interaction strength approaches the upper limit preserving the chirality, the leading velocity-dependent Lyapunov exponent of the model saturates the maximal chaos bound $2\pi/\beta$ at temperature $\beta^{-1}$., Comment: 19 pages, 6 figures

The Hamiltonian of the magic-angle twisted symmetric trilayer graphene (TSTG) can be decomposed into a TBG-like flat band Hamiltonian and a high-velocity Dirac fermion Hamiltonian. We use Hartree-Fock mean field approach to study the projected Coulomb interacting Hamiltonian of TSTG developed in C\u{a}lug\u{a}ru et al. [Phys. Rev. B 103, 195411 (2021)] at integer fillings $\nu=-3, -2, -1$ and $0$ measured from charge neutrality. We study the phase diagram with $w_0/w_1$, the ratio of $AA$ and $AB$ interlayer hoppings, and the displacement field, which introduces an interlayer potential $U$ and hybridizes the TBG-like bands with the Dirac bands. At small $U$, we find the ground states at all fillings $\nu$ are in the same phases as the tensor products of a Dirac semimetal with the filling $\nu$ TBG insulator ground states, which are spin-valley polarized at $\nu=-3$, and fully (partially) intervalley coherent at $\nu=-2,0$ ($\nu=-1$) in the flat bands. An exception is $\nu=-3$ with $w_0/w_1 \gtrsim 0.7$, which possibly become a metal with competing orders at small $U$ due to charge transfers between the Dirac and flat bands. At strong $U$ where the bandwidths exceed interactions, all the fillings $\nu$ enter a metal phase with small or zero valley polarization and intervalley coherence. Lastly, at intermediate $U$, semimetal or insulator phases with zero intervalley coherence may arise for $\nu=-2,-1,0$. Our results provide a simple picture for the electron interactions in TSTG systems, and reveal the connection between the TSTG and TBG ground states., Comment: 31 pages, 27 figures

We show that the subregion entanglement Hamiltonians of excited eigenstates of a quantum many-body system are approximately linear combinations of subregionally (quasi)local approximate conserved quantities, with relative commutation errors $\mathcal{O}\left(\frac{\text{subregion boundary area}}{\text{subregion volume}}\right)$. By diagonalizing an entanglement Hamiltonian superdensity matrix (EHSM) for an ensemble of eigenstates, we can obtain these conserved quantities as the EHSM eigen-operators with nonzero eigenvalues. For free fermions, we find the number of nonzero EHSM eigenvalues is cut off around the order of subregion volume, and some of their EHSM eigen-operators can be rather nonlocal, although subregionally quasilocal. In the interacting XYZ model, we numerically find the nonzero EHSM eigenvalues decay roughly in power law if the system is integrable, with the exponent $s\approx 1$ ($s\approx 1.5\sim 2$) if the eigenstates are extended (many-body localized). For fully chaotic systems, only two EHSM eigenvalues are significantly nonzero, the eigen-operators of which correspond to the identity and the subregion Hamiltonian., Comment: 7+23 pages, 6+9 figures, extended to a long article

We derive the Hamiltonian for trilayer moir\'e systems with the Coulomb interaction projected onto the bands near the charge neutrality point. Motivated by the latest experimental results, we focus on the twisted symmetric trilayer graphene (TSTG) with a mirror-symmetry with respect to the middle layer. We provide a full symmetry analysis of the non-interacting Hamiltonian with a perpendicular displacement field coupling the band structure made otherwise of the twisted bilayer graphene (TBG) and the high velocity Dirac fermions, and we identify a hidden non-local symmetry of the problem. In the presence of this displacement field, we construct an approximate single-particle model, akin to the tripod model for TBG, capturing the essence of non-interacting TSTG. We also derive more quantitative perturbation schemes for the low-energy physics of TSTG with displacement field, obtaining the corresponding eigenstates. This allows us to obtain the Coulomb interaction Hamiltonian projected in the active band TSTG wavefunctions and derive the full many-body Hamiltonian of the system. We also provide an efficient parameterization of the interacting Hamiltonian. Finally, we show that the discrete symmetries at the single-particle level promote the $\mathrm{U} \left( 2 \right) \times \mathrm{U} \left( 2 \right)$ spin-valley symmetry to enlarged symmetry groups of the interacting problem under different limits. The interacting part of the Hamiltonian exhibits a large $\mathrm{U} \left( 4 \right) \times \mathrm{U} \left( 4 \right) \times \mathrm{U} \left( 4 \right) \times \mathrm{U} \left( 4 \right)$ symmetry in the chiral limit. Moreover, by identifying a new symmetry which we dub spatial many-body charge conjugation, we show that the physics of TSTG is symmetric around charge neutrality., Comment: 18+43 pages, 2+7 figures

We develop a generic $\mathbf{k}\cdot \mathbf{p}$ open momentum space method for calculating the Hofstadter butterfly of both continuum (Moir\'e) models and tight-binding models, where the quasimomentum is directly substituted by the Landau level (LL) operators. By taking a LL cutoff (and a reciprocal lattice cutoff for continuum models), one obtains the Hofstadter butterfly with in-gap spectral flows. For continuum models such as the Moir\'e model for twisted bilayer graphene, our method gives a sparse Hamiltonian, making it much more efficient than existing methods. The spectral flows in the Hofstadter gaps can be understood as edge states on a momentum space boundary, from which one can determine the two integers ($t_\nu,s_\nu$) of a gap $\nu$ satisfying the Diophantine equation. The spectral flows can also be removed to obtain a clear Hofstadter butterfly. While $t_\nu$ is known as the Chern number, our theory identifies $s_\nu$ as a dual Chern number for the momentum space, which corresponds to a quantized Lorentz susceptibility $\gamma_{xy}=eBs_\nu$., Comment: 5+30 pages, 3+4 figures

The axion insulator is a higher-order topological insulator protected by inversion symmetry. We show that under quenched disorder respecting inversion symmetry {\it on average}, the topology of the axion insulator stays robust, and an intermediate metallic phase in which states are delocalized is unavoidable at the transition from an axion insulator to a trivial insulator. We derive this conclusion from general arguments, from classical percolation theory, and from the numerical study of a 3D quantum network model simulating a disordered axion insulator through a layer construction. We find the localization length critical exponent near the delocalization transition to be $\nu=1.42\pm 0.12$. We further show that this delocalization transition is stable even to weak breaking of the average inversion symmetry, up to a critical strength. We also quantitatively map our quantum network model to an effective Hamiltonian and we find its low energy k$\cdot$p expansion., Comment: 8+11 pages, 4+6 figures, some references added

Using exact diagonalization, we study the projected Hamiltonian with Coulomb interaction in the 8 flat bands of first magic angle twisted bilayer graphene. Employing the U(4) (U(4)$\times$U(4)) symmetries in the nonchiral (chiral) flat band limit, we reduced the Hilbert space to an extent which allows for study around $\nu=\pm 3,\pm2,\pm1$ fillings. In the first chiral limit $w_0/w_1=0$ where $w_0$ ($w_1$) is the $AA$ ($AB$) stacking hopping, we find that the ground-states at these fillings are extremely well-described by Slater determinants in a so-called Chern basis, and the exactly solvable charge $\pm1$ excitations found in [arXiv:2009.14200] are the lowest charge excitations up to system sizes $8\times8$ (for restricted Hilbert space) in the chiral-flat limit. We also find that the Flat Metric Condition (FMC) used in [arXiv:2009.11301,2009.11872,2009.12376,2009.13530,2009.14200] for obtaining a series of exact ground-states and excitations holds in a large parameter space. For $\nu=-3$, the ground state is the spin and valley polarized Chern insulator with $\nu_C=\pm1$ at $w_0/w_1\lesssim0.9$ (0.3) with (without) FMC. At $\nu=-2$, we can only numerically access the valley polarized sector, and we find a spin ferromagnetic phase when $w_0/w_1\gtrsim0.5t$ where $t\in[0,1]$ is the factor of rescaling of the actual TBG bandwidth, and a spin singlet phase otherwise, confirming the perturbative calculation [arXiv:2009.13530]. The analytic FMC ground state is, however, predicted in the intervalley coherent sector which we cannot access [arXiv:2009.13530]. For $\nu=-3$ with/without FMC, when $w_0/w_1$ is large, the finite-size gap $\Delta$ to the neutral excitations vanishes, leading to phase transitions. Further analysis of the ground state momentum sectors at $\nu=-3$ suggests a competition among (nematic) metal, momentum $M_M$ ($\pi$) stripe and $K_M$-CDW orders at large $w_0/w_1$., Comment: 22+26 pages, 15+20 figures. Added discussion about spin polarized simulation and intervalley coherent states at $\nu=-2$ filling factor. Updated references

We find exact analytic expressions for the energies and wavefunctions of the charged and neutral excitations above the exact ground states (at rational filling per unit cell) of projected Coulomb Hamiltonians in twisted bilayer graphene. Our exact expressions are valid for any form of the Coulomb interaction and any form of $AA$ and $AB/BA$ tunneling. The single charge excitation energy is a convolution of the Coulomb potential with a quantum geometric tensor of the TBG bands. The neutral excitations are (high-symmetry group) magnons, and their dispersion is analytically calculated in terms of the form factors of the active bands in TBG. The two-charge excitation energy and wavefunctions are also obtained, and a sufficient condition on the graphene eigenstates for obtaining a Cooper-pair from Coulomb interactions is obtained. For the actual TBG bands at the first magic angle, we can analytically show that the Cooper pair binding energy is zero in all such projected Coulomb models, implying that either phonons and/or non-zero kinetic energy are needed for superconductivity. Since the [Phys. Rev. Lett. 122, 246401] showed that the kinetic energy bounds on the superexchange energy are less $10^{-3}$ in Coulomb units, the phonon mechanism becomes then very likely. If nonetheless the superconductivity is due to kinetic terms which render the bands non-flat, one prediction of our theory is that the highest $T_c$ would not occur at the highest DOS., Comment: References added; Excitations at odd fillings in the flat nonchiral limit added

We derive the exact insulator ground states of the projected Hamiltonian of magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene (TBG) flat bands with Coulomb interactions in various limits, and study the perturbations away from these limits. We define the (first) chiral limit where the AA stacking hopping is zero, and a flat limit with exactly flat bands. In the chiral-flat limit, the TBG Hamiltonian has a U(4)$\times$U(4) symmetry, and we find that the exact ground states at integer filling $-4\le \nu\le 4$ relative to charge neutrality are Chern insulators of Chern numbers $\nu_C=4-|\nu|,2-|\nu|,\cdots,|\nu|-4$, all of which are degenerate. This confirms recent experiments where Chern insulators are found to be competitive low-energy states of TBG. When the chiral-flat limit is reduced to the nonchiral-flat limit which has a U(4) symmetry, we find $\nu=0,\pm2$ has exact ground states of Chern number $0$, while $\nu=\pm1,\pm3$ has perturbative ground states of Chern number $\nu_C=\pm1$, which are U(4) ferromagnetic. In the chiral-nonflat limit with a different U(4) symmetry, different Chern number states are degenerate up to second order perturbations. In the realistic nonchiral-nonflat case, we find that the perturbative insulator states with Chern number $\nu_C=0$ ($0<|\nu_C|<4-|\nu|$) at integer fillings $\nu$ are fully (partially) intervalley coherent, while the insulator states with Chern number $|\nu_C|=4-|\nu|$ are valley polarized. However, for $0<|\nu_C|\le4-|\nu|$, the fully intervalley coherent states are highly competitive (0.005meV/electron higher). At nonzero magnetic field $|B|>0$, a first-order phase transition for $\nu=\pm1,\pm2$ from Chern number $\nu_C=\text{sgn}(\nu B)(2-|\nu|)$ to $\nu_C=\text{sgn}(\nu B)(4-|\nu|)$ is expected, which agrees with recent experimental observations. Lastly, the TBG Hamiltonian reduces into an extended Hubbard model in the stabilizer code limit., Comment: 17+35 pages, 3+2 figures. Published version

We derive the explicit Hamiltonian of twisted bilayer graphene (TBG) with Coulomb interaction projected into the flat bands, and study the symmetries of the Hamiltonian. First, we show that all projected TBG Hamiltonians can be written as Positive Semidefinite Hamiltonian, the first example of which was found in [PRL 122, 246401]. We then prove that the interacting TBG Hamiltonian exhibits an exact U(4) symmetry in the exactly flat band (nonchiral-flat) limit. We further define, besides a first chiral limit where the AA stacking hopping is zero, a new second chiral limit where the AB/BA stacking hopping is zero. In the first chiral-flat limit (or second chiral-flat limit) with exactly flat bands, the TBG is enhanced to have an exact U(4)$\times$U(4) symmetry, whose generators are different between the two chiral limits. While in the first chiral limit and in the non-chiral case these symmetries have been found in [PRX 10, 031034] for the $8$ lowest bands, we here prove that they are valid for projection into any $8 n_\text{max}$ particle-hole symmetric TBG bands, with $n_\text{max}>1$ being the practical case for small twist angles $<1^\circ$. Furthermore, in the first or second chiral-nonflat limit without flat bands, an exact U(4) symmetry still remains. We also elucidate the link between the U(4) symmetry presented here and the similar but different U(4) of [PRL 122, 246401]. Furthermore, we show that our projected Hamiltonian can be viewed as the normal-ordered Coulomb interaction plus a Hartree-Fock term from passive bands, and exhibits a many-body particle-hole symmetry which renders the physics symmetric around charge neutrality. We also provide an efficient parameterization of the interacting Hamiltonian. The existence of two chiral limits, with an enlarged symmetry suggests a possible duality of the model yet undiscovered., Comment: 12+32 pages, 3+1 figures. Published version

We show that the entire continuous model of twisted bilayer graphene (TBG) (and not just the two active bands) with particle-hole symmetry is anomalous and hence incompatible with a lattice model. Previous works, e.g., [Phys. Rev. Lett. 123, 036401], [Phys. Rev. X 9, 021013], [Phys. Rev. B 99, 195455], and others [1-4] found that the two flat bands in TBG possess a fragile topology protected by the $C_{2z}T$ symmetry. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 123, 036401] also pointed out an approximate particle-hole symmetry ($\mathcal{P}$) in the continuous model of TBG. In this work, we numerically confirm that $\mathcal{P}$ is indeed a good approximation for TBG and show that the fragile topology of the two flat bands is enhanced to a $\mathcal{P}$-protected stable topology. This stable topology implies $4l+2$ ($l\in\mathbb{N}$) Dirac points between the middle two bands. The $\mathcal{P}$-protected stable topology is robust against arbitrary gap closings between the middle two bands the other bands. We further show that, remarkably, this $\mathcal{P}$-protected stable topology, as well as the corresponding $4l + 2$ Dirac points, cannot be realized in lattice models that preserve both $C_{2z}T$ and $\mathcal{P}$ symmetries. In other words, the continuous model of TBG is anomalous and cannot be realized on lattices. Two other topology related topics, with consequences for the interacting TBG problem, i.e., the choice of Chern band basis in the two flat bands and the perfect metal phase of TBG in the so-called second chiral limit, are also discussed., Comment: References added; A figure showing evolution of Dirac nodes added

We investigate the Twisted Bilayer Graphene (TBG) model to obtain an analytic understanding of its energetics and wavefunctions needed for many-body calculations. We provide an approximation scheme which first elucidates why the BM $K_M$-point centered calculation containing only $4$ plane-waves provides a good analytical value for the first magic angle. The approximation scheme also elucidates why most many-body matrix elements in the Coulomb Hamiltonian projected to the active bands can be neglected. By applying our approximation scheme at the first magic angle to a $\Gamma_M$-point centered model of 6 plane-waves, we analytically understand the small $\Gamma_M$-point gap between the active and passive bands in the isotropic limit $w_0=w_1$. Furthermore, we analytically calculate the group velocities of passive bands in the isotropic limit, and show that they are \emph{almost} doubly degenerate, while no symmetry forces them to be. Furthermore, away from $\Gamma_M$ and $K_M$ points, we provide an explicit analytical perturbative understanding as to why the TBG bands are flat at the first magic angle, despite it is defined only by vanishing $K_M$-point Dirac velocity. We derive analytically a connected "magic manifold" $w_1=2\sqrt{1+w_0^2}-\sqrt{2+3w_0^2}$, on which the bands remain extremely flat as $w_0$ is tuned between the isotropic ($w_0=w_1$) and chiral ($w_0=0$) limits. We analytically show why going away from the isotropic limit by making $w_0$ less (but not larger) than $w_1$ increases the $\Gamma_M$- point gap between active and passive bands. Finally, perturbatively, we provide an analytic $\Gamma_M$ point $k\cdot p$ $2$-band model that reproduces the TBG band structure and eigenstates in a certain $w_0,w_1$ parameter range. Further refinement of this model suggests a possible faithful $2$-band $\Gamma_M$ point $k\cdot p$ model in the full $w_0, w_1$ parameter range., Comment: 25+21 pages, 13+7 figures. Published version

Spin and charge are two interrelated properties of electrons. However, most of previous works on topological matter study the electronic and magnonic excitations separately. In this paper, by combining density functional theory calculations with the Schwinger boson method, we determine the topological electronic band structures and topological magnon spectrum simultaneously in the ferromagnetic ground state of the narrow-band-gap CoCu3(OH)6Cl2, which is an ABC stacking Kagome lattice material with fractional occupancy on Cu sites. This material provides an ideal platform to study the interplay of different types of topological excitations. Our work also proposes a useful method to deal with correlated topological magnetic systems with narrow band gaps., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures

Interactions among electrons and the topology of their energy bands can create novel quantum phases of matter. Most topological electronic phases appear in systems with weak electron-electron interactions. The instances where topological phases emerge only as a result of strong interactions are rare, and mostly limited to those realized in the presence of intense magnetic fields. The discovery of flat electronic bands with topological character in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene (MATBG) has created a unique opportunity to search for new strongly correlated topological phases. Here we introduce a novel local spectroscopic technique using a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) to detect a sequence of topological insulators in MATBG with Chern numbers C = $\pm$ 1, $\pm$ 2, $\pm$ 3, which form near $\nu$ = $\pm$ 3, $\pm$ 2, $\pm$ 1 electrons per moir\'e unit cell respectively, and are stabilized by the application of modest magnetic fields. One of the phases detected here (C = +1) has been previously observed when the sublattice symmetry of MATBG was intentionally broken by hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) substrates, with interactions playing a secondary role. We demonstrate that strong electron-electron interactions alone can produce not only the previously observed phase, but also new and unexpected Chern insulating phases in MATBG. The full sequence of phases we observed can be understood by postulating that strong correlations favor breaking time-reversal symmetry to form Chern insulators that are stabilized by weak magnetic fields. Our findings illustrate that many-body correlations can create topological phases in moir\'e systems beyond those anticipated from weakly interacting models., Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures

Twisted double bilayer graphene (TDBG) under a transverse electric field is predicted to exhibit a topological valley Chern number 2 at charge neutrality, protected by an emergent valley symmetry, which can manifest in the Hofstadter spectra. Here, we report the experimental observation of a universal closing of the charge neutrality gap of TDBG at 1=2 magnetic flux per unit cell, which is in agreement with theoretical predictions for a valley Chern number 2 gap, and provides evidence for both the emergent symmetry and valley Chern bands. Furthermore, our theoretical analysis of the interaction effect and experimental data shows that the interaction energy is larger than the flat-band bandwidth in TDBG near 1 degree, but does not alter the emergent valley symmetry and the single-particle band topology., Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures, includes supplementary material

Moir\'e superlattices in two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures provide 20 an efficient way to engineer electron band properties. The recent discovery of exotic quantum phases and their interplay in twisted bilayer graphene (tBLG) has built this moir\'e system one of the most renowned condensed matter platforms (1-10). So far the studies of tBLG has been mostly focused on the lowest two flat moir\'e bands at the first magic angle {\theta}m1 ~ 1.1{\deg}, leaving high-order moir\'e bands and magic angles largely unexplored. Here we report 25 an observation of multiple well-isolated flat moir\'e bands in tBLG close to the second magic angle {\theta}m2 ~ 0.5{\deg}, which cannot be explained without considering electron-election interactions. With high magnetic field magneto-transport measurements, we further reveal a qualitatively new, energetically unbound Hofstadter butterfly spectrum in which continuously extended quantized Landau level gaps cross all trivial band-gaps. The 30 connected Hofstadter butterfly strongly evidences the topologically nontrivial textures of the multiple moir\'e bands. Overall, our work provides a new perspective for understanding the quantum phases in tBLG and the fractal Hofstadter spectra of multiple topological bands.

The quantum level interplay between geometry, topology, and correlation is at the forefront of fundamental physics. Owing to the unusual lattice geometry and breaking of time-reversal symmetry, kagome magnets are predicted to support intrinsic Chern quantum phases. However, quantum materials hosting ideal spin-orbit coupled kagome lattices with strong out-of-plane magnetization have been lacking. Here we use scanning tunneling microscopy to discover a new topological kagome magnet TbMn6Sn6, which is close to satisfying the above criteria. We visualize its effectively defect-free purely Mn-based ferromagnetic kagome lattice with atomic resolution. Remarkably, its electronic state exhibits distinct Landau quantization upon the application of a magnetic field, and the quantized Landau fan structure features spin-polarized Dirac dispersion with a large Chern gap. We further demonstrate the bulk-boundary correspondence between the Chern gap and topological edge state, as well as the Berry curvature field correspondence of Chern gapped Dirac fermions. Our results point to the realization of a quantum-limit Chern phase in TbMn6Sn6, opening up an avenue for discovering topological quantum phenomena in the RMn6Sn6 (R = rare earth element) family with a variety of magnetic structures. Our visualization of the magnetic bulk-boundary-Berry correspondence covering real and momentum space demonstrates a proof-of-principle method revealing topological magnets., Comment: To appear in Nature (2020)

Magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene (MATBG) exhibits a rich variety of electronic states, including correlated insulators, superconductors, and topological phases. Understanding the microscopic mechanisms responsible for these phases requires determining the interplay between electron-electron interactions and quantum degeneracy due to spin and valley degrees of freedom. Signatures of strong electron-electron correlations have been observed at partial fillings of the flat electronic bands in recent spectroscopic measurements. Transport experiments have shown changes in the Landau level degeneracy at fillings corresponding to an integer number of electrons per moir\'e unit cell. However, the interplay between interaction effects and the degeneracy of the system is currently unclear. Using high-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), we observed a cascade of transitions in the spectroscopic properties of MATBG as a function of electron filling. We find distinct changes in the chemical potential and a rearrangement of the low-energy excitations at each integer filling of the moir\'e flat bands. These spectroscopic features are a direct consequence of Coulomb interactions, which split the degenerate flat bands into Hubbard sub-bands. We find these interactions, the strength of which we can extract experimentally, to be surprisingly sensitive to the presence of a perpendicular magnetic field, which strongly modifies the spectroscopic transitions. The cascade of transitions we report here characterizes the correlated high-temperature parent phase from which various insulating and superconducting ground-state phases emerge at low temperatures in MATBG.

We construct a continuum model for the Moir\'e superlattice of twisted bilayer MnBi$_2$Te$_4$, and study the band structure of the bilayer in both ferromagnetic (FM) and antiferromagnetic (AFM) phases. We find the system exhibits highly tunable Chern bands with Chern number up to $3$. We show that a twist angle of $1^\circ$ turns the highest valence band into a flat band with Chern number $\pm1$ that is isolated from all other bands in both FM and AFM phases. This result provides a promising platform for realizing time-reversal breaking correlated topological phases, such as fractional Chern insulator and $p+ip$ topological superconductor. In addition, our calculation indicates that the twisted stacking facilitates the emergence of quantum anomalous Hall effect in MnBi$_2$Te$_4$., Comment: 7+7 pages, 3+2 figures, typos corrected

The discovery of superconducting and insulating states in magic angle twisted bilayer graphene (MATBG) has ignited considerable interest in understanding the nature of electronic interactions in this chemically pristine material system. The phenomenological similarity of the MATBG transport properties as a function of doping with those of the high-Tc cuprates and other unconventional superconductors suggests the possibility that MATBG may be a highly interacting system. However, there have not been any direct experimental evidence for strong many-body correlations in MATBG. Here we provide such evidence from using high-resolution spectroscopic measurements, as a function of carrier density, with a scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). We find MATBG to display unusual spectroscopic characteristics that can be attributed to electron-electron interactions over a wide range of doping, including when superconductivity emerges in this system. We show that our measurements cannot be explained with a mean-field approach for modeling electron-electron interaction in MATBG. The breakdown of a mean-field approach for understanding the properties of other correlated superconductors, such as cuprates, has long inspired the study of highly correlated Hubbard model. We show that a phenomenological extended Hubbard model cluster calculation, motivated by the nearly localized nature of the relevant electronic states of MATBG produces spectroscopic features similar to those we observe experimentally. Our findings demonstrate the critical role of many-body correlations in understanding the properties of MATBG.

The nonlinear optical responses from topological semimetals are crucial in both understanding the fundamental properties of quantum materials and designing next-generation light-sensors or solar-cells. However, previous work was focusing on the optical effects from bulk states only, disregarding topological surface responses. Here we propose a new (hitherto unknown) surface-only topological photocurrent response from chiral Fermi arcs. Using the ideal topological chiral semimetal RhSi as a representative, we quantitatively compute the topologically robust photocurrents from Fermi arcs on different surfaces. By rigorous crystal symmetry analysis, we demonstrate that Fermi arc photocurrents can be perpendicular to the bulk injection currents regardless of the choice of materials' surface. We then generalize this finding to all cubic chiral space groups and predict material candidates. Our theory reveals a powerful notion where common crystalline-symmetry can be used to induce universal topological responses as well as making it possible to completely disentangle bulk and surface topological responses in many conducting material families.