The physics of moir'e superlattices and the resulting formation of mini-bands in van der Waals materials have opened up an exciting new field in condensed matter physics. These systems exhibit a rich phase diagram of novel physical phenomena and exotic correlated phases that emerge in the low-dispersing bands. Transition metal dichalcogenides, in particular, molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), are potential candidates to extend the studies on moir'e electronics beyond graphene. Our transport spectroscopy measurements and analysis reveal a correlation-driven phase transition and the emergence of discrete mini-bands in MoS2 moir'e superlattices that remained elusive so far. We resolve these mini-bands arising from quantum mechanical tunneling through Schottky barriers between the MoS2 and its metallic leads. Energy scales deduced from a first approach exhibit an astounding agreement with our experimental observations. The behavior under thermal activation suggests a Lifshitz phase transition at low temperatures that is driven by a complete spin-valley symmetry breaking. These intriguing observations bring out the potential of twisted MoS2 to explore correlated electron states and associated physics.
@article{arxiv.2304.03316,
title = {Addressing the spin-valley flavors in moir'e mini-bands of MoS2},
author = {Chithra H. Sharma and Marta Prada and Jan-Hendrik Schmidt and Isabel Gonz'alez D'iaz-Palacio and Tobias Stauber and Takashi Taniguchi and Kenji Watanabe and Lars Tiemann and Robert H. Blick},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2304.03316},
year = {2024}
}