One-Dimensional Luttinger Liquids in a Two-Dimensional Moir\'e Lattice

TL;DR

This paper reports the experimental creation of a 2D array of one-dimensional Luttinger liquids in a moiré superlattice of twisted bilayer tungsten ditelluride, enabling exploration of strongly correlated quantum phases.

Contribution

It demonstrates a high-quality, tunable 2D array of 1D Luttinger liquids in a moiré superlattice, bridging theoretical models and experimental realization.

Findings

Large transport anisotropy with resistance ratio ~1000

Power-law scaling in conductance consistent with Luttinger liquid behavior

Tunable interwire distance via twist angle

Abstract

The Luttinger liquid (LL) model of one-dimensional (1D) electronic systems provides a powerful tool for understanding strongly correlated physics including phenomena such as spin-charge separation. Substantial theoretical efforts have attempted to extend the LL phenomenology to two dimensions (2D), especially in models of closely packed arrays of 1D quantum wires, each being described as a LL. Such coupled-wire models have been successfully used to construct 2D anisotropic non-Fermi liquids, quantum Hall states, topological phases, and quantum spin liquids. However, an experimental demonstration of high-quality arrays of 1D LLs suitable for realizing these models remains absent. Here we report the experimental realization of 2D arrays of 1D LLs with crystalline quality in a moir\'e superlattice made of twisted bilayer tungsten ditelluride (tWTe$_{2}$). Originating from the anisotropic lattice of the monolayer, the moir\'e pattern of tWTe$_{2}$ hosts identical, parallel 1D electronic channels, separated by a fixed nanoscale distance, which is tunable by the interlayer twist angle. At a twist angle of ~ 5 degrees, we find that hole-doped tWTe$_{2}$ exhibits exceptionally large transport anisotropy with a resistance ratio of ~ 1000 between two orthogonal in-plane directions. The across-wire conductance exhibits power-law scaling behaviors, consistent with the formation of a 2D anisotropic phase that resembles an array of LLs. Our results open the door for realizing a variety of correlated and topological quantum phases based on coupled-wire models and LL physics.