The emergence of superconductivity and correlated insulators in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene (MATBG) has raised the intriguing possibility that its pairing mechanism is distinct from that of conventional superconductors1–4, as described by the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) theory. However, recent studies have shown that superconductivity persists even when Coulomb interactions are partially screened5,6. This suggests that pairing in MATBG might be conventional in nature and a consequence of the large density of states (DOS) of its flat bands. Here we combine tunnelling and Andreev reflection spectroscopy with the scanning tunnelling microscope (STM) to observe several key experimental signatures for unconventional superconductivity in MATBG. We show that the tunnelling spectra below the transition temperature Tc are inconsistent with those of a conventional s-wave superconductor, but rather resemble those of a nodal superconductor with an anisotropic pairing mechanism. We observe a large discrepancy between the tunnelling gap ΔT, which far exceeds the mean-field BCS ratio (with 2ΔT/kBTc ~ 25), and the gap ΔAR extracted from Andreev reflection spectroscopy (2ΔAR/kBTc ~ 6). The tunnelling gap persists even when superconductivity is suppressed, indicating its emergence from a pseudogap phase. Moreover, the pseudogap and superconductivity are both absent when MATBG is aligned with hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). These findings and other observations reported here provide a preponderance of evidence for a non-BCS mechanism for superconductivity in MATBG.

Evidence for unconventional superconductivity in twisted bilayer graphene.

Low-frequency and Moiré–Floquet engineering: A review

The quantum anomalous Hall effect sometimes occurs in twisted bilayer graphene when it is nearly aligned with an encapsulating hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) layer. The authors argue that the quantum anomalous Hall effect is likely only when the graphene/graphene and graphene/hBN moir\'e patterns are nearly commensurate. This picture gives rise to the series of ``Hall windows'' in the twist-angle space illustrated here.

Moiré commensurability and the quantum anomalous Hall effect in twisted bilayer graphene on hexagonal boron nitride

Charge carriers in magic angle graphene come in eight flavors described by a combination of their spin, valley, and sublattice polarizations. When the inversion and time reversal symmetries are broken by the substrate or by strong interactions, the degeneracy of the flavors can be lifted and their corresponding bands can be filled sequentially. Due to their non-trivial band topology and Berry curvature, each of the bands is classified by a topological Chern number, leading to the quantum anomalous Hall and Chern insulator states at integer fillings $\nu$ of the bands. It has been recently predicted, however, that depending on the local atomic-scale arrangements of the graphene and the encapsulating hBN lattices, rather than being a global topological invariant, the Chern number C may become position dependent, altering transport and magnetic properties of the itinerant electrons. Using a SQUID-on-tip, we directly image the nanoscale Berry-curvature-induced equilibrium orbital magnetism, the polarity of which is governed by the local Chern number, and detect its two constituent components associated with the drift and the self-rotation of the electronic wave packets. At $\nu=1$, we observe local zero-field valley-polarized Chern insulators forming a mosaic of microscopic patches of C=-1, 0, or 1, governed by the local sublattice polarization, consistent with predictions. Upon further filling, we find a first-order phase transition due to recondensation of electrons from valley K to K', which leads to irreversible flips of the local Chern number and the magnetization, and to the formation of valley domain walls giving rise to hysteretic global anomalous Hall resistance. The findings shed new light on the structure and dynamics of topological phases and call for exploration of the controllable formation of flavor domain walls and their utilization in twistronic devices. 

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Chern mosaic and Berry-curvature magnetism in magic-angle graphene

We study the symmetries of twisted trilayer graphene's band structure under various extrinsic perturbations, and analyze the role of long-range electron-electron interactions near the first magic angle. The electronic structure is modified by these interactions in a similar way to twisted bilayer graphene. We analyze electron pairing due to long-wavelength charge fluctuations, which are coupled among themselves via the Coulomb interaction and additionally mediated by longitudinal acoustic phonons. We find superconducting phases with either spin-singlet/valley-triplet or spin-triplet/valley-singlet symmetry, with critical temperatures up to a few Kelvin for realistic choices of parameters.

Band structure and superconductivity in twisted trilayer graphene

Graphene-based moir\'e superlattices are now established as an interesting platform for strongly correlated many-electron physics, and they have so far been characterized mainly by transport and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) measurements. Motivated by recent experimental progress, we present a theoretical model study whose aim is to assess the potential of angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) to resolve some of the many open issues in these systems. The theory is developed specifically for graphene on hexagonal boron nitride (G/hBN) and twisted bilayer graphene (TBG) moir\'e superlattices, but it is readily generalized to any system with active degrees of freedom in graphene sheets.

Jingtian Shi

Papers

Moiré commensurability and the quantum anomalous Hall effect in twisted bilayer graphene on hexagonal boron nitride

Theory of angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy in graphene-based moiré superlattices