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Wigner molecular crystals from multielectron moiré artificial atoms.

Hongyuan LiZiyu XiangAidan P ReddyTrithep DevakulRenee SailusRounak BanerjeeTakashi TaniguchiKenji WatanabeSeth Ariel TongayAlex ZettlLiang FuMichael F CrommieFeng Wang
Published in: Science (New York, N.Y.) (2024)
Semiconductor moiré superlattices provide a versatile platform to engineer quantum solids composed of artificial atoms on moiré sites. Previous studies have mostly focused on the simplest correlated quantum solid-the Fermi-Hubbard model-in which intra-atom interactions are simplified to a single onsite repulsion energy U . Here we report the experimental observation of Wigner molecular crystals emerging from multielectron artificial atoms in twisted bilayer tungsten disulfide moiré superlattices. Using scanning tunneling microscopy, we demonstrate that Wigner molecules appear in multielectron artificial atoms when Coulomb interactions dominate. The array of Wigner molecules observed in a moiré superlattice comprises a crystalline phase of electrons: the Wigner molecular crystal, which is shown to be highly tunable through mechanical strain, moiré period, and carrier charge type.
Keyphrases
  • room temperature
  • molecular dynamics
  • high resolution
  • single molecule
  • high throughput
  • optical coherence tomography