哥伦比亚大学和哈佛大学近期的两项电子输运实验报道了过渡金属硫族化物（TMD）WSe$_2$单层中创纪录的高迁移率和低沟道密度 [J. Pack 等，arXiv:2310.19782；A. Y. Joe 等，Phys. Rev. Lett. 132, 056303 (2024)]。哥伦比亚大学的样品在低密度下展现了二维（2D）金属-绝缘体相变（MIT），这是一个在无序不存在时理论上预期会形成Wigner晶体（WC）的区间。我们采用有限温度Boltzmann理论，考虑了实际的杂质散射，以理解单层TMDs的低温输运性质。我们分析了实验结果，重点关注金属相中的2D MIT行为以及温度和密度对迁移率和电阻率的影响。我们讨论了输运结果中非平庸的载流子密度依赖性。我们的分析阐明了金属相中随温度线性变化的电阻率，将其归因于与屏蔽带电杂质相关的Friedel振荡。此外，我们探讨了Coulomb无序是否可能通过量子Anderson局域化转变或经典逾渗转变导致MIT。我们对无序诱导的MIT临界密度的理论估计值虽然偏小，但与实验临界密度相差不到约2倍。我们考察了在低密度MoSe$_2$系统中实验观察到的WCs约10 K的异常高熔化温度，这比纯净系统的熔化温度高出一个数量级。这表明观察到的2D低密度MIT行为可能是无序效应与相互作用驱动的WC物理之间复杂相互作用的结果，为TMD单层中的低温输运现象提供了全面的理解。
英文摘要：
Two recent electronic transport experiments from Columbia University and Harvard University have reported record high mobility and low channel densities in transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) WSe$_2$ monolayers [J. Pack, et al., arXiv:2310.19782; A. Y. Joe, et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 132, 056303 (2024)]. A two-dimensional (2D) metal-insulator transition (MIT) is demonstrated in the Columbia sample at low densities, a regime where the formation of a Wigner crystal (WC) is theoretically anticipated in the absence of disorder. We employ the finite-temperature Boltzmann theory to understand the low-temperature transport properties of monolayer TMDs, taking into account realistic disorder scattering. We analyze the experimental results, focusing on the 2D MIT behavior and the influence of temperature and density on mobility and resistivity in the metallic phase. We provide a discussion of the nontrivial carrier density dependence of our transport results. Our analysis elucidates the linear-in-$T$ resistivity in the metallic phase, attributing it to Friedel oscillations associated with screened charged impurities. Furthermore, we explore whether Coulomb disorder could lead to the MIT through either a quantum Anderson localization transition or a classical percolation transition. Our theoretical estimates of the disorder-induced MIT critical densities, although smaller, are within a factor of ~2 of the experimental critical density. We examine the exceptionally high melting temperature ~10 K of WCs observed experimentally in the MoSe$_2$ systems at low density, an order of magnitude larger than the pristine melting temperature. This suggests that the observed 2D low-density MIT behavior is likely a result of the complex interplay between disorder effects and interaction-driven WC physics, offering a comprehensive understanding of the low-temperature transport phenomena in TMD monolayers.
Wigner crystallization of electrons in a 2D quantum dots is reported. It proceeds in two stages: I) via radial ordering of electrons on shells and II) freezing of the inter-shell rotation. The phase boundary of the crystal is computed in the whole temperature--density plane, and the influence of quantum effects and of the particle number is analyzed.
We study the possibility of Wigner crystallization in both single- and and bi-layer graphene using a real space tight binding model. In addition to verifying our earlier prediction for single layer graphene, we predict that the bilayer graphene can undergo a Wigner crystal transition at low enough carrier density thus offering a possibility of tunable and bipolar Wigner crystal. We find that aside from the Coulomb interaction of the carriers of two layers that stabilizes the charge ordered state, so does the inter layer coupling.
We investigate the effects of coupling between the two zigzag edges of graphene nanoribbons on the Wigner crystallization of electrons and holes using a combination of tight-binding, mean field Hubbard and many-body configuration interaction methods. We show that the thickness of the nanoribbon plays a crucial role in the formation of Wigner crystal. For ribbon widths smaller than 16 \mboxÅ, increased kinetic energy overcomes the long-range Coulomb repulsion and suppresses the Wigner crystallization. For wider ribbons up to 38 \mboxÅ wide, strong Wigner localization is observed for even number…
The quantum-classical crossover from the Fermi liquid towards the Wigner solid is numerically revisited, considering small square lattice models where electrons interact via a Coulomb $U/r$ potential. The studies of models without disorder and spin and including disorder and spin show that the electron solid is formed in two stages, giving rise to an intriguing solid-liquid regime at intermediate couplings
Wigner crystallization can be induced in a quantum dot by increasing the effective electron-electron interaction through a decrease of the electron density or by the application of a strong magnetic field. We show that the ground state in both cases is very similar but the energy scales are very different and therefore also the dynamics.
Wigner crystallization in mesoscopic quantum dots containing only few ($N < 50$) electrons exhibits a number of interesting peculiarities: (i) there exist two distinct crystal phases, and (ii) the phase boundary sensitively depends on the precise particle number. In this paper we demonstrate that this behavior can be used to control the {\em collective} transport properties by adding or removing a {\em single electron}.
We study the competition between the Wigner crystal and the Laughlin liquid states in an ultracold quasi two-dimensional rapidly rotating polarized fermionic dipolar gas, and find that the Wigner crystal has a lower energy below a critical filling factor. We examine the quantum crystal to liquid transition for different confinements in the third direction. Our analysis of the phonon spectra of the Wigner crystal with the account of phonon-phonon interactions also shows the stability of the Wigner crystal for sufficiently low filling factors (ν<1/7).
We consider the fate of the Wigner crystal state in a two dimensional system of massive Dirac electrons as the effective fine structure constant $α$ is increased. In a Dirac system, larger $α$ naively corresponds to stronger electron-electron interactions, but it also implies a stronger interband dielectric response that effectively renormalizes the electron charge. We calculate the critical density and critical temperature associated with quantum and thermal melting of the Wigner crystal state using two independent approaches. We show that at $α\gg 1$, the Wigner crystal state is best underst…
The competition between kinetic energy and Coulomb interactions in electronic systems can lead to complex many-body ground states with competing superconducting, charge density wave, and magnetic orders. Here we study the low temperature phases of a strongly interacting zinc-oxide-based high mobility two dimensional electron system that displays a tunable metal-insulator transition. Through a comprehensive analysis of the dependence of electronic transport on temperature, carrier density, in-plane and perpendicular magnetic fields, and voltage bias, we provide evidence for the existence of com…
We provide a quantitative determination of the crystallization onset for two electrons in a parabolic two-dimensional confinement. This system is shown to be well described by a roto-vibrational model, Wigner crystallization occurring when the rotational motion gets decoupled from the vibrational one. The Wigner molecule thus formed is characterized by its moment of inertia and by the corresponding sequence of rotational excited states. The role of a vertical magnetic field is also considered. Additional support to the analysis is given by the Hartree-Fock phase diagram for the ground state an…
Using many-body configuration interaction techniques we show that Wigner crystallization occurs at the zigzag edges of graphene at surprisingly high electronic densities up to $0.8$ $\mbox{nm}^{-1}$. In contrast with one-dimensional electron gas, the flat-band structure of the edge states makes the system interaction dominated, facilitating the electronic localization. The resulting Wigner crystal manifests itself in pair-correlation functions, and evolves smoothly as the edge electron density is lowered. We also show that the crystallization affects the magnetization of the edges. While the e…
We explore the theory of electrons confined by one dimensional power law potentials. We calculate the density profile in the high density electron gas, the low density Wigner crystal, and the intermediate regime. We extract the momentum space wavefunction of the electron at the Fermi surface, which can be measured in experiments on tunneling between parallel wires. The onset of localization leads to a dramatic broadening of the momentum space wavefunction together with pronounced sharpening (in energy) of the tunneling spectrum.
Recent experiments on the twisted transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) material, $\rm WSe_2/WS_2$, have observed insulating states at fractional occupancy of the moiré bands. Such states were conceived as generalized Wigner crystals (GWCs). In this article, we investigate the problem of Wigner crystallization in the presence of an underlying (moiré) lattice. Based on the best estimates of the system parameters, we find a variety of homobilayer and heterobilayer TMDs to be excellent candidates for realizing GWCs. In particular, our analysis based on $r_{s}$ indicates that $\rm MoSe_{2}$ (among…
Magnetic-Field-Induced Wigner Crystallization of Charged Interlayer Excitons in van der Waals Heterostructures
North Carolina Central University（北卡罗来纳中央大学）；Institute of Spectroscopy, Russian Academy of Sciences（俄罗斯科学院光谱学研究所）；National Research University ”Higher School of Economics”（国立研究大学高等经济大学）
We use Density Functional Theory to study interacting spinless electrons on a one-dimensional quantum ring in the density range where the system undergoes Wigner crystallization. The Wigner transition leads to a drastic ``collective'' electron localization due to the Wigner crystal pinning, provided a weak impurity potential is applied. To reveal this localization we examine a persistent current in a ring penetrated by a magnetic flux. Using the DFT-OEP method we calculated the current as a function of the interaction parameter r_S. We find that in the limit of vanishing impurity potential the…
We study the ground states of cold atoms in the tight-binding bands built from p-orbitals on a two dimensional honeycomb optical lattice. The band structure includes two completely flat bands. Exact many-body ground states with on-site repulsion can be found at low particle densities, for both fermions and bosons. We find crystalline order at n=1/6 with a $\sqrt{3} \times \sqrt{3}$ structure breaking a number of discrete lattice symmetries. In fermionic systems, if the repulsion is strong enough, we find the bonding strength becomes \emph{dimerized} at n=1/2. Experimental signatures of crystal…
In a certain regime of low carrier densities and strong correlations, electrons can crystallize into a periodic arrangement of charge known as Wigner crystal. Such phases are particularly interesting in one dimension (1D) as they display a variety of charge and spin ground states which may be harnessed in quantum devices as high-fidelity transmitters of spin information. Recent theoretical studies suggest that the strong Coulomb interactions in Mott insulators and other flat band systems, may provide an attractive higher temperature platform for Wigner crystallization, but due to materials and…
We devise a model to explain why twisted bi-layer graphene (TBLG) exhibits insulating behavior when $ν=2,3$ charges occupy a unit moiré cell, a feature attributed to Mottness, but not for $ν=1$, clearly inconsistent with Mott insulation. We compute $r_s=E_U/E_K$, where $E_U$ and $E_K$ are the potential and kinetic energies, respectively, and show that (i) the Mott criterion lies at a density $10^4$ higher than in the experiments and (ii) a transition to a series of Wigner crystalline states exists as a function of $ν$. We find, for $ν=1$, $r_s$ fails to cross the threshold ($r_s = 37$) for the…
Critical gate distance for Wigner crystallization in the two-dimensional electron gas
Center for Computational Quantum Physics, Flatiron Institute（Flatiron Institute 计算量子物理中心）；Department of Physics, Stanford University（斯坦福大学物理系）；Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara（加州大学圣塔芭芭拉分校卡弗里理论物理研究所）；Department of Physics and Astronomy, Hofstra University（霍夫斯特拉大学物理与天文系）；Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison（威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校物理系）
The physics of flat band is novel and rich but difficult to access. In this regard, recently twisting of bilayer van der Waals (vdW)-bounded two-dimensional (2D) materials has attracted much attention, because the reduction of Brillouin zone will eventually lead to a diminishing kinetic energy. Alternatively, one may start with a 2D Kagome lattice, which already possesses flat bands at the Fermi level, but unfortunately these bands connect quadratically to other (dispersive) bands, leading to undesirable effects. Here, we propose, by first-principles calculation and tight-binding modeling, tha…
A Wigner crystal, a regular electron lattice arising from strong correlation effects, is one of the earliest predicted collective electronic states. This many-body state exhibits quantum and classical phase transitions and has been proposed as a basis for quantum information processing applications. In semiconductor platforms, two-dimensional Wigner crystals have been observed under magnetic field or moiré-based lattice potential where the electron kinetic energy is strongly suppressed. Here, we report bilayer Wigner crystal formation without a magnetic or confinement field in atomically thin …
Optical probing of Wigner crystallization in monolayer WSe$_2$ via diffraction of longitudinal excitons
ITMO University（ITMO大学）；Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (National Research University)（莫斯科物理科学与技术学院（国立研究大学））；Russian Quantum Center（俄罗斯量子中心）；Laboratory of Programmable Functional Materials, Center for Neurophysics and Neuromorphic Technologies（可编程功能材料实验室，神经物理与类脑技术中心）；Moscow Center for Advanced Studies（莫斯科高级研究中心）；Queen’s University（女王大学）
We consider a restricted three body problem, where two interacted particles are located in two dimensional (2D) plane and interact with the third one located in the parallel spatially separated plane. The system of such type can be formed in the semiconductor coupled quantum wells, where the electrons (or holes) and direct excitons spatially separated in different parallel neighboring quantum wells that are sufficiently close to interact and form negative X- or positive X+ indirect trions. It is shown that at large interwell separations, when the interwell separation much greater than the exci…
Competition between liquid and solid states in two-dimensional electron system is an intriguing problem in condensed matter physics. We have investigated competing Wigner crystal and fractional quantum Hall ( FQH ) liquid phases in atomically thin suspended graphene devices in Corbino geometry. Low temperature magnetoconductance and transconductance measurements along with $IV$ characteristics all indicate strong charge density dependent modulation of electron transport. Our results show unconventional FQH phases which do not fit the standard Jain's series for conventional FQH states, instead …
Graphene, with its massless linearly-dispersing carriers, in the quantum Hall regime provides an instructive comparison with conventional two-dimensional (2D) systems in which carriers have a nonzero band mass and quadratic dispersion. We investigate the influence of Landau level mixing in graphene on Wigner crystal states in the $n^\mathrm{th}$ Landau level obtained using single Landau level approximation. We show that the Landau level mixing does not qualitatively change the phase diagram as a function of partial filling factor $ν$ in the $n^\mathrm{th}$ level. We find that the inter-Landau …
A system of confined charged electrons interacting via the long-range Coulomb force can form a Wigner crystal due to their mutual repulsion. This happens when the potential energy of the system dominates over its kinetic energy, i.e., at low temperatures for a classical system and at low densities for a quantum one. At $T=0$, the system is governed by quantum mechanics, and hence, the spatial density peaks associated with crystalline charge localization are sharpened for a lower average density. Conversely, in the classical limit of high temperatures, the crystalline spatial density peaks are …
When a strong magnetic field is applied perpendicularly (along z) to a sheet confining electrons to two dimensions (x-y), highly correlated states emerge as a result of the interplay between electron-electron interactions, confinement and disorder. These so-called fractional quantum Hall (FQH) liquids form a series of states which ultimately give way to a periodic electron solid that crystallizes at high magnetic fields. This quantum phase of electrons has been identified previously as a disorder-pinned two-dimensional Wigner crystal with broken translational symmetry in the x-y plane. Here, w…
We present a variational study of the 2D and 3D Wigner crystal phase of large polarons. The method generalizes that introduced by S. Fratini,P.\ Qu{é}merais [Mod. Phys. Lett. B {\bf 12} 1003 (1998)]. We take into account the Wigner crystal normal modes rather than a single mean frequency in the minimization procedure of the variational free energy. We calculate the renormalized modes of the crystal as well as the charge polarization correlation function and polaron radius. The solid phase boundaries are determined via a Lindemann criterion, suitably generalized to take into account the classic…
The existence of Wigner crystallization, one of the most significant hallmarks of strong electron correlations, has to date only been definitively observed in two-dimensional systems. In one-dimensional (1D) quantum wires Wigner crystals correspond to regularly spaced electrons; however, weakening the confinement and allowing the electrons to relax in a second dimension is predicted to lead to the formation of a new ground state constituting a zigzag chain with nontrivial spin phases and properties. Here we report the observation of such zigzag Wigner crystals by use of on-chip charge and spin…
The ground state energy and the lowest excitations of a two dimensional Wigner crystal in a perpendicular magnetic field with one and two electrons per cell is investigated. In case of two electrons per lattice site, the interaction of the electrons {\em within} each cell is taken into account exactly (including exchange and correlation effects), and the interaction {\em between} the cells is in second order (dipole) van der Waals approximation. No further approximations are made, in particular Landau level mixing and {\em in}complete spin polarization are accounted for. Therefore, our calcula…
Forcing systems though fast non-equilibrium phase transitions offers the opportunity to study new states of quantum matter that self-assemble in their wake. Here we study the quantum interference effects of correlated electrons confined in monolayer quantum nanostructures, created by femtosecond laser-induced quench through a first-order polytype structural transition in a layered transition-metal dichalcogenide material. Scanning tunnelling microscopy of the electrons confined within equilateral triangles, whose dimensions are a few crystal unit cells on the side, reveals that the trajectorie…
We develop a theory for a continuous bandwidth-tuned transition at fixed \textit{fractional} electron filling from a metal with a generic Fermi surface to a `Wigner-Mott' insulator that spontaneously breaks crystalline space-group symmetries. Across the quantum critical point, (i) the entire electronic Fermi surface disappears abruptly upon approaching from the metallic side, and (ii) the insulating charge gap and various order parameters associated with the spontaneously broken space-group symmetries vanish continuously upon approaching from the insulating side. Additionally, the insulating s…
We show that there can be no direct first order transition between a Fermi liquid and an insulating electronic (Wigner) crystalline phase in a clean two-dimensional electron gas in a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET); rather, there must always exist intermediate ``micro-emulsion'' phases, and an accompanying sequence of continuous phase transitions. Among the intermediate phases which we find are a variety of electronic liquid crystalline phases, including stripe-related analogues of classical smectics and nematics. The existence of these phases can be established in t…
We study the development of electron-electron correlations in circular quantum dots as the density is decreased. We consider a wide range of both electron number, N<=20, and electron gas parameter, r_s<18, using the diffusion quantum Monte Carlo technique. Features associated with correlation appear to develop very differently in quantum dots than in bulk. The main reason is that translational symmetry is necessarily broken in a dot, leading to density modulation and inhomogeneity. Electron-electron interactions act to enhance this modulation ultimately leading to localization. This process ap…
Pressure-Tunable Generalized Wigner Crystal and Fractional Chern Insulator in twisted MoTe$_2$
Beijing Institute of Technology（北京理工大学）；Beijing Key Laboratory of Quantum Matter State Control and Ultra-Precision Measurement Technology（北京量子物质态调控与超精密测量技术重点实验室）
When the Coulomb repulsion between electrons dominates over their kinetic energy, electrons in two dimensional systems were predicted to spontaneously break continuous translation symmetry and form a quantum crystal. Efforts to observe this elusive state of matter, termed a Wigner crystal (WC), in two dimensional extended systems have primarily focused on electrons confined to a single Landau level at high magnetic fields, but have not provided a conclusive experimental signature of the emerging charge order. Here, we use optical spectroscopy to demonstrate that electrons in a pristine monolay…
Evidence of Metallic Wigner Crystal in Rhombohedral Graphene
Massachusetts Institute of Technology（麻省理工学院）；Florida State University（佛罗里达州立大学）；Weizmann Institute of Science（魏茨曼科学研究所）；National Institute for Materials Science（国立材料研究所）
Visualizing the Impact of Quenched Disorder on 2D Electron Wigner Solids
University of California, Berkeley（加州大学伯克利分校）；Flatiron Institute（平顿研究所）；University of New Mexico（新墨西哥大学）；Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory（劳伦斯伯克利国家实验室）；Hofstra University（霍夫斯特拉大学）；Arizona State University（亚利桑那州立大学）；National Institute for Materials Science（日本国立材料研究所）
In this review, we discuss the impact of interfaces and heterojuctions on the electronic and thermoelectric transport properties of materials. We review recent progress in understanding electronic transport in two-dimensional (2D) materials ranging from graphene to transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), their homojunctions (grain boundaries), lateral heterojunctions (such as graphene/MoS$_2$ lateral interfaces), and vertical van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures. We also review work in thermoelectric properties of 2D heterojunctions, as well as their applications in creating devices such as r…
