Theory of Correlated Insulators and Superconductor at $\nu=1$ in Twisted WSe$_2$

TL;DR

This paper proposes a theoretical framework for understanding the transition between superconducting and insulating phases at a specific electron filling in twisted WSe$_2$, using a three-orbital model and parton mean-field theory.

Contribution

It introduces a simplified three-orbital model and analyzes the continuous transition between superconductor and quantum spin-liquid Mott insulator in twisted WSe$_2$.

Findings

Displacement-field can induce a continuous transition between superconductor and Mott insulator.

The model captures the nature and evolution of correlated insulators in twisted WSe$_2$.

Theoretical predictions align with observed phenomenology in experiments.

Abstract

The observation of a superconducting phase, an intertwined insulating phase, and a continuous transition between the two at a commensurate filling of $\nu=1$ in bilayers of twisted WSe$_2$ at $\theta=3.65^0$ raises a number of intriguing questions about the origin of this phenomenology. Here we report the possibility of a displacement-field induced continuous transition between a superconductor and a quantum spin-liquid Mott insulator at $\nu=1$, starting with a simplified three-orbital model of twisted WSe$_2$, including on-site, nearest-neighbor density-density interactions, and a chiral-exchange interaction, respectively. By employing parton mean-field theory, we discuss the nature of these correlated insulators, their expected evolution with the displacement-field, and their phenomenological properties.