MOSAICS : MOiré Superlattices of correlAted dIChalcogenideS
The recent progress in controlling the stacking of atomic sheets in van der Waals heterostructures has opened up new avenues for manipulating electronic properties by moiré superlattices. In two-dimensional (2D) crystalline materials, a moiré superlattice can be formed by vertically stacking two layered materials with a twist angle and/or a difference in lattice constant. Low-energy flat bands, in which the electron interactions, i.e., correlations, become dominant, then can appear in the electron band structure leading to emergent electronic phases.
The MOSAICS project aims at exploring and exploiting the electronic band structures of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) moiré superlattices generated by twist and by intercalation-induced lattice mismatches for discovering and controlling new unconventional phases of matter. It has a particular focus on metallic TMDs for which the range of possible new phenomena becomes huge because they already possess, in their bulk form, extremely rich electronic phase diagrams. These fascinating phases of matter need to be revisited at the 2D limit within moiré superlattices because geometrical frustration enhance quantum fluctuations and can lead to a multitude of closely competing states. MOSAICS relies on a strong development of coupled sample environment and state-of-the-art angle-resolved photoemission.
