Quantum anomalous Hall crystals in moiré bands with higher Chern number

Raul Perea-Causin (), Hui Liu () and Emil J. Bergholtz ()
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Raul Perea-Causin: Stockholm University, AlbaNova University Center
Hui Liu: Stockholm University, AlbaNova University Center
Emil J. Bergholtz: Stockholm University, AlbaNova University Center

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract The realization of fractional Chern insulators in moiré materials has sparked the search for further novel phases of matter in this platform. In particular, recent works have demonstrated the possibility of realizing quantum anomalous Hall crystals (QAHCs), which combine the zero-field quantum Hall effect with spontaneously broken discrete translation symmetry. Here, we employ exact diagonalization to demonstrate the existence of stable QAHCs arising from $$\frac{2}{3}$$ 2 3 -filled moiré bands with Chern number C = 2. Our calculations show that these topological crystals, which are characterized by a quantized Hall conductivity of 1 (in units of e2/h) and a tripled unit cell, are robust in an ideal model of twisted bilayer-trilayer graphene—providing a novel explanation for experimental observations in this heterostructure. Furthermore, we predict that the QAHC remains robust in a realistic model of twisted double bilayer graphene and, in addition, we provide a range of optimal tuning parameters, namely twist angle and electric field, for experimentally realizing this phase. Overall, our work demonstrates the stability of QAHCs at odd-denominator filling of C = 2 bands, provides specific guidelines for future experiments, and establishes chiral multilayer graphene as a theoretical platform for studying topological phases beyond the Landau-level paradigm.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-62224-9

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