Mapping topological and magnetic transitions in semiconductor moiré materials

Speaker: 
Benjamin Feldman
Institution: 
Stanford University
Date: 
Tuesday, January 20, 2026
Time: 
11:00 am
Location: 
NSII 1201

Abstract: Semiconductor moiré lattices provide a flexible platform to study flat, topological bands that host a variety of closely competing many-body ground states. In this talk, I will present single-electron transistor microscopy of WSe2 bilayers at low twist angles, which reveals rich interplay between magnetism, correlations, and topology. At zero magnetic field, we observe a series of quantum anomalous Hall states and demonstrate topological phase transitions as a function of twist angle and electric field. In the Hofstadter regime at high magnetic field, we resolve a cascade of magnetic phase transitions due to crossing Hofstadter and moiré bands of differing spin. I will discuss which experimental tuning knobs are most influential in determining the preferred ground states, clarifying the respective roles played by material and moiré properties in shaping the observed symmetry breaking in different physical regimes.

Host: 
Luis Jauregui