Person:

Fang, Shiang

The single-particle and many-body properties of twisted bilayer graphene (TBG) can be dramatically 1 different from those of a single graphene layer, in particular when the two layers are rotated relative 2 to each other by a small angle ��≈��∘1–6. Here, we probe for the first time collective excitations of TBG 3 graphene with 20 nanometer spatial resolution, by applying mid-infrared (MIR) near-field optical 4 microscopy. We unveil a propagating plasmon mode in charge-neutral TBG with ��=��.��−��.��∘, which 5 is dramatically different from the ordinary single-layer graphene intraband plasmon7,8. We interpret it 6 as an interband plasmon associated with the optical transitions between minibands originating from 7 the moiré superlattice9,10. The details of the plasmon dispersion are directly related to the motion of 8 electrons in the moiré superlattice and offer invaluable insight into a plethora of physical properties, 9 such as the band nesting between flat band and remote band10, local interlayer coupling, losses etc. We 10 find a strongly reduced interlayer coupling in the regions with AA-stacking, pointing at screening due 11 to electron-electron (e-e) interactions. Optical nano-imaging studies of TBG pave the way to spatially 12 probe interactions effects at the nanoscale11, it could potentially elucidate the contribution of collective excitations to many-body ground states12, and it unveils itself as a new platform for strong light-matter 14 interactions and quantum plasmonic studies and devices13.

Correlated electronic systems are naturally susceptible to develop collective, symmetry-breaking electronic phases as observed in Cu- and Fe-based high-temperature superconductors, and twisted Moiré superlattices. The family of kagome metals AV3Sb5 (A = K, Rb, Cs) is a recently discovered, rich platform to study many of these phenomena and their interplay. In these systems, three-dimensional charge order (3D-CO) is the primary instability that sets the stage in which other ordered phases emerge, including unidirectional stripe order, orbital flux order, and superconductivity. Therefore, determining the exact nature of the 3D-CO is key to capture the broader phenomenology in AV3Sb5. Here, we use high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to resolve the microscopic structure and symmetry of 3D-CO in AV3Sb5. Our approach is based on identifying an unusual splitting of kagome bands induced by 3D-CO, which provides a sensitive way to refine the spatial charge patterns in neighboring kagome planes. Notably, we found a marked dependence of the 3D-CO structure on alkali metal and doping: the 3D-CO in CsV3Sb5 is composed of kagome layers with alternating Star-of-David and Tri-Hexagonal distortions, while KV3Sb5, RbV3Sb5, and Sn-doped CsV3Sb5 realize a staggered charge pattern breaking C6 rotational symmetry. These results establish the microscopic structure of 3D-CO and its evolution with chemical composition for the first time, providing fresh insights on the origin of the cascade of exotic electronic phases in AV3Sb5.