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Terahertz photocurrent probe of quantum geometry and interactions in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene

Authors :
Kumar, Roshan Krishna
Li, Geng
Bertini, Riccardo
Chaudhary, Swati
Nowakowski, Krystian
Park, Jeong Min
Castilla, Sebastian
Zhan, Zhen
PantaleĆ³n, Pierre A.
Agarwal, Hitesh
Battle-Porro, Sergi
Icking, Eike
Ceccanti, Matteo
Reserbat-Plantey, Antoine
Piccinini, Giulia
Barrier, Julien
Khestanova, Ekaterina
Taniguchi, Takashi
Watanabe, Kenji
Stampfer, Christoph
Refael, Gil
Guinea, Francisco
Jarillo-Herrero, Pablo
Song, Justin C. W.
Stepanov, Petr
Lewandowski, Cyprian
Koppens, Frank H. L.
Publication Year :
2024

Abstract

Moir\'e materials represent strongly interacting electron systems bridging topological and correlated physics. Despite significant advances, decoding wavefunction properties underlying the quantum geometry remains challenging. Here, we utilize polarization-resolved photocurrent measurements to probe magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene, leveraging its sensitivity to the Berry connection that encompasses quantum "textures" of electron wavefunctions. Using terahertz light resonant with optical transitions of its flat bands, we observe bulk photocurrents driven by broken symmetries and reveal the interplay between electron interactions and quantum geometry. We observe inversion-breaking gapped states undetectable through quantum transport, sharp changes in the polarization axes caused by interaction-induced band renormalization, and recurring photocurrent patterns at integer fillings of the moir\'e unit cell that track the evolution of quantum geometry through the cascade of phase transitions. The large and tunable terahertz response intrinsic to flat-band systems offers direct insights into the quantum geometry of interacting electrons and paves the way for innovative terahertz quantum technologies.

Details

Database :
arXiv
Publication Type :
Report
Accession number :
edsarx.2406.16532
Document Type :
Working Paper