Giant magnetic field from moir\'e induced Berry phase in homobilayer semiconductors

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that moiré patterns in homobilayer transition metal dichalcogenides induce a real-space Berry phase, resulting in a giant, tunable magnetic field that influences topological and electronic properties.

Contribution

It reveals how moiré-induced Berry phases generate large, quantized magnetic fields in homobilayer semiconductors and explores their tunability and topological implications.

Findings

Moiré patterns produce magnetic fields up to hundreds of Tesla.

The magnetic flux per supercell is a topological invariant.

Interlayer bias can tune the magnetic field profile.

Abstract

When quasiparticles move in condensed matters, the texture of their internal quantum structure as a function of position and momentum can give rise to Berry phases that have profound effects on materials properties. Seminal examples include the anomalous Hall and spin Hall effects from the momentum-space Berry phases in homogeneous crystals. Here we explore a conjugate form of electron Berry phase arising from the moir\'e pattern, the texture of atomic configurations in real space. In homobilayer transition metal dichalcogenides, we show the real-space Berry phase from moir\'e manifests as a periodic magnetic field up to hundreds of Tesla. This quantity tells apart moir\'e patterns from different origins, which can have identical potential landscape but opposite quantized magnetic flux per supercell. For low energy carriers, the homobilayer moir\'es realize topological flux lattices for the quantum spin Hall effect. An interlayer bias can continuously tune the spatial profile of moir\'e magnetic field, whereas the flux per supercell is a topological quantity that can only have a quantized jump observable at moderate bias. We also reveal the important role of the non-Abelian Berry phase in shaping the energy landscape in small moir\'e. Our work points to new possibilities to access ultra-high magnetic field that can be tailored in the nanoscale by electrical and mechanical controls.