Lattice Collective Modes from a Continuum Model of Magic-Angle Twisted Bilayer Graphene

TL;DR

This paper models the collective excitations in insulating states of magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene, revealing low-energy modes that include spin, valley, and orbital pseudospin excitations, with one mode coupling to THz photons.

Contribution

It introduces a continuum model capturing collective modes in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene, highlighting a local SU(8) symmetry and identifying modes below the charge gap.

Findings

Seven low-energy collective modes below the charge gap.

One mode couples strongly to THz photons.

Identification of a low-energy intra-flavor exciton mode.

Abstract

We show that the insulating states of magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene support a series of collective modes corresponding to local particle-hole excitations on triangular lattice sites. Our theory is based on a continuum model of the magic angle flat bands. When the system is insulating at moir\'e band filling $\nu=-3$, our calculations show that the ground state supports seven low-energy modes that lie well below the charge gap throughout the moir\'e Brillouin zone, one of which couples strongly to THz photons. The low-energy collective modes are faithfully described by a model with a local $SU(8)$ degree of freedom in each moir\'e unit cell that we identify as the direct product of spin, valley, and an orbital pseudospin. Apart from spin and valley-wave modes, the collective mode spectrum includes a low-energy intra-flavor exciton mode associated with transitions between flat valence and conduction band orbitals.