Nonmonotonic Band Flattening near the Magic Angle of Twisted Bilayer <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <mml:mrow> <mml:msub> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>MoTe</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> </mml:mro
Twisted bilayer <a:math xmlns:a="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <a:mrow> <a:msub> <a:mrow> <a:mi>MoTe</a:mi> </a:mrow> <a:mn>2</a:mn> </a:msub> </a:mrow> </a:math> ( <c:math xmlns:c="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <c:mrow> <c:msub> <c:mrow> <c:mi>tMoTe</c:mi> </c:mrow> <c:mn>2</c:mn> </c:msub> </c:mrow> </c:math> ) is an emergent platform for exploring exotic quantum phases driven by the interplay between nontrivial band topology and strong electron correlations. Direct experimental access to its momentum-resolved electronic structure is essential for uncovering the microscopic origins of the correlated topological phases therein. Here, we report angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements of <e:math xmlns:e="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <e:mrow> <e:msub> <e:mrow> <e:mi>tMoTe</e:mi> </e:mrow> <e:mn>2</e:mn> </e:msub> </e:mrow> </e:math> , revealing pronounced twist-angle-dependent band reconstruction shaped by orbital character, interlayer coupling, and moiré potential modulation. Density functional theory captures the qualitative evolution, yet underestimates key energy scales across twist angles, highlighting the importance of electronic correlations. Notably, the hole effective mass at the <g:math xmlns:g="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <g:mrow> <g:mi>K</g:mi> </g:mrow> </g:math> point exhibits a nonmonotonic dependence on twist angle, peaking near 2°, consistent with band flattening at the magic angle predicted by continuum models. Via electrostatic gating and surface dosing, we further visualize the evolution of electronic structure versus doping, enabling direct observation of the conduction band minimum and confirm <i:math xmlns:i="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <i:mrow> <i:msub> <i:mrow> <i:mi>tMoTe</i:mi> </i:mrow> <i:mn>2</i:mn> </i:msub> </i:mrow> </i:math> as a direct band gap semiconductor. These results establish a spectroscopic foundation for modeling and engineering emergent quantum phases in this moiré platform.
Authors
- Xiaodong Xu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0348-2095)
- William Holtzmann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0025-7450)
- Paulina Majchrzak (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5200-3866)
- Ziyan Zhu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4463-5828)
- Eli Rotenberg (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3979-8844)
- Yujun Deng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7407-2603)
- Timothy Zaklama (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-9324-5983)
- Takashi Taniguchi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1467-3105)
- Thomas Devereaux (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8072-9237)
- Kenji Watanabe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3701-8119)
- Dong-Hui Lu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9708-0443)
- Chris M. Jozwiak (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0980-3753)
- Aaron Bostwick (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9008-2980)
- Makoto Hashimoto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1689-8997)
- Liang Fu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-6525-6467)
- Zhi-Xun Shen
Institutions
- Boston College (US)
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (US)
- University of Washington (US)
- National Institute for Materials Science (JP)
- SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (US)
- Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (US)
- Advanced Light Source
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US)
- Stanford University (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Physical Review X
- Published
- 2025-10-29
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1103/q11l-9jy1
- Primary Topic
- Topological Materials and Phenomena
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00