Hydrostatic Pressure-Enhanced Correlated Magnetism and Chern Insulator in Moiré <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <mml:mrow> <mml:msub> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>WSe</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn>

Moiré semiconductors offer flat bands where Coulomb interactions and band topology intertwine, while the interlayer coupling plays a core role in the formation of moiré potential. However, the limited interlayer coupling strength and the lack of efficient tuning methods hinder further exploration of correlated phenomena in moiré semiconductors. We introduce a cryogenic dual-gated diamond-anvil platform using helium as a pressure medium, enabling reversible hydrostatic tuning together with magneto-optical spectroscopy in twisted bilayer <a:math xmlns:a="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <a:mrow> <a:msub> <a:mrow> <a:mi>WSe</a:mi> </a:mrow> <a:mn>2</a:mn> </a:msub> </a:mrow> </a:math> . Pressure enhances the moiré potential, redshifts excitons, and stabilizes Stoner ferromagnetism otherwise absent at a 3.1° twist. Simultaneously, the half-filled <c:math xmlns:c="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <c:mrow> <c:mi>C</c:mi> <c:mo>=</c:mo> <c:mn>1</c:mn> </c:mrow> </c:math> Chern insulating state strengthens, exhibiting a reduced saturation field. Moreover, we observed a topological phase transition from Chern insulator to Mott insulator at around 2 GPa. First-principles calculations reveal that a <e:math xmlns:e="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <e:mrow> <e:mi mathvariant="normal">Γ</e:mi> <e:mo>−</e:mo> <e:mi>K</e:mi> </e:mrow> </e:math> valence band maximum switching drives this transition by converting an Ising-like topological <h:math xmlns:h="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <h:mrow> <h:mi>K</h:mi> </h:mrow> </h:math> -valley miniband into a spin-degenerate trivial <j:math xmlns:j="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <j:mi mathvariant="normal">Γ</j:mi> </j:math> miniband. Our findings demonstrate hydrostatic pressure as a powerful, continuous control axis for correlated magnetism and topological band engineering in moiré materials.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Physical Review X
Published
2026-02-04
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1103/th65-gff6
Primary Topic
2D Materials and Applications
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Hydrostatic Pressure-Enhanced Correlated Magnetism and Chern Insulator in Moiré <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <mml:mrow> <mml:msub> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>WSe</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn>

Anonymous
Physical Review X
2D Materials and Applications
article

Hydrostatic Pressure-Enhanced Correlated Magnetism and Chern Insulator in Moiré <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <mml:mrow> <mml:msub> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>WSe</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn>

Anonymous
article en

Abstract

Moiré semiconductors offer flat bands where Coulomb interactions and band topology intertwine, while the interlayer coupling plays a core role in the formation of moiré potential. However, the limited interlayer coupling strength and the lack of efficient tuning methods hinder further exploration of correlated phenomena in moiré semiconductors. We introduce a cryogenic dual-gated diamond-anvil platform using helium as a pressure medium, enabling reversible hydrostatic tuning together with magneto-optical spectroscopy in twisted bilayer <a:math xmlns:a="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <a:mrow> <a:msub> <a:mrow> <a:mi>WSe</a:mi> </a:mrow> <a:mn>2</a:mn> </a:msub> </a:mrow> </a:math> . Pressure enhances the moiré potential, redshifts excitons, and stabilizes Stoner ferromagnetism otherwise absent at a 3.1° twist. Simultaneously, the half-filled <c:math xmlns:c="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <c:mrow> <c:mi>C</c:mi> <c:mo>=</c:mo> <c:mn>1</c:mn> </c:mrow> </c:math> Chern insulating state strengthens, exhibiting a reduced saturation field. Moreover, we observed a topological phase transition from Chern insulator to Mott insulator at around 2 GPa. First-principles calculations reveal that a <e:math xmlns:e="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <e:mrow> <e:mi mathvariant="normal">Γ</e:mi> <e:mo>−</e:mo> <e:mi>K</e:mi> </e:mrow> </e:math> valence band maximum switching drives this transition by converting an Ising-like topological <h:math xmlns:h="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <h:mrow> <h:mi>K</h:mi> </h:mrow> </h:math> -valley miniband into a spin-degenerate trivial <j:math xmlns:j="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <j:mi mathvariant="normal">Γ</j:mi> </j:math> miniband. Our findings demonstrate hydrostatic pressure as a powerful, continuous control axis for correlated magnetism and topological band engineering in moiré materials.

Physical Review XVol. 16(1)
National University of Singapore (SG), Shanghai Jiao Tong University (CN), National Institute for Materials Science (JP), Hefei University (CN), Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids (DE), Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research (CN), University of Tennessee at Knoxville (US)
Openalex Percentile: Top 68%
2D Materials and Applications
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.