Imaging tunable Luttinger liquid systems in van der Waals heterostructures

Hongyuan Li (), Ziyu Xiang, Tianle Wang, Mit H. Naik, Woochang Kim, Jiahui Nie, Shiyu Li, Zhehao Ge, Zehao He, Yunbo Ou, Rounak Banerjee, Takashi Taniguchi, Kenji Watanabe, Sefaattin Tongay, Alex Zettl, Steven G. Louie (), Michael P. Zaletel (), Michael F. Crommie () and Feng Wang ()
Additional contact information
Hongyuan Li: University of California at Berkeley
Ziyu Xiang: University of California at Berkeley
Tianle Wang: University of California at Berkeley
Mit H. Naik: University of California at Berkeley
Woochang Kim: University of California at Berkeley
Jiahui Nie: University of California at Berkeley
Shiyu Li: University of California at Berkeley
Zhehao Ge: University of California at Berkeley
Zehao He: University of California at Berkeley
Yunbo Ou: Arizona State University
Rounak Banerjee: Arizona State University
Takashi Taniguchi: National Institute for Materials Science
Kenji Watanabe: National Institute for Materials Science
Sefaattin Tongay: Arizona State University
Alex Zettl: University of California at Berkeley
Steven G. Louie: University of California at Berkeley
Michael P. Zaletel: University of California at Berkeley
Michael F. Crommie: University of California at Berkeley
Feng Wang: University of California at Berkeley

Nature, 2024, vol. 631, issue 8022, 765-770

Abstract: Abstract One-dimensional (1D) interacting electrons are often described as a Luttinger liquid1–4 having properties that are intrinsically different from those of Fermi liquids in higher dimensions5,6. In materials systems, 1D electrons exhibit exotic quantum phenomena that can be tuned by both intra- and inter-1D-chain electronic interactions, but their experimental characterization can be challenging. Here we demonstrate that layer-stacking domain walls (DWs) in van der Waals heterostructures form a broadly tunable Luttinger liquid system, including both isolated and coupled arrays. We have imaged the evolution of DW Luttinger liquids under different interaction regimes tuned by electron density using scanning tunnelling microscopy. Single DWs at low carrier density are highly susceptible to Wigner crystallization consistent with a spin-incoherent Luttinger liquid, whereas at intermediate densities dimerized Wigner crystals form because of an enhanced magneto-elastic coupling. Periodic arrays of DWs exhibit an interplay between intra- and inter-chain interactions that gives rise to new quantum phases. At low electron densities, inter-chain interactions are dominant and induce a 2D electron crystal composed of phased-locked 1D Wigner crystal in a staggered configuration. Increased electron density causes intra-chain fluctuation potentials to dominate, leading to an electronic smectic liquid crystal phase in which electrons are ordered with algebraical correlation decay along the chain direction but disordered between chains. Our work shows that layer-stacking DWs in 2D heterostructures provides opportunities to explore Luttinger liquid physics.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07596-6

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