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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2026
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.15787 |
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| _version_ | 1866917348635574272 |
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| author | Jin, Keda Klebl, Lennart Goodwin, Zachary A. H. Zhao, Junting Lüpke, Felix Kennes, Dante M. Martinez-Castro, Jose Ternes, Markus |
| author_facet | Jin, Keda Klebl, Lennart Goodwin, Zachary A. H. Zhao, Junting Lüpke, Felix Kennes, Dante M. Martinez-Castro, Jose Ternes, Markus |
| contents | Superlattice engineering in van der Waals heterostructures (e.\,g.\ by moiré engineering) provides a powerful platform for designing electronic bands and realising correlated and topological quantum phenomena. Here, we pioneer a scheme to tailor superpotentials based on intrinsic substrate electronic orders. We show that this establishes a robust, self-aligned, and highly versatile route to band-structure control as we demonstrate in graphene by engineering two distinct, nearly commensurate superlattices using the charge density waves of 1T-NbSe$_2$. In these superlattices the graphene's Dirac cones are folded either to the $Γ$-point or to the K-points of the mini-Brillouin zone. Using scanning tunnelling microscopy, we observe that the $Γ$-folded system preserves C$_3$ symmetry, while the K-folded system exhibits spontaneous symmetry breaking. Combining density functional theory with an interlayer interaction model, we reveal that this difference is not electronically driven but originates from a structural instability. Our work establishes superlattice engineering for designer quantum states and unveils a structural mechanism for controlled emergent symmetry breaking. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_15787 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Tailoring spontaneous symmetry breaking in engineered van der Waals superlattices Jin, Keda Klebl, Lennart Goodwin, Zachary A. H. Zhao, Junting Lüpke, Felix Kennes, Dante M. Martinez-Castro, Jose Ternes, Markus Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics Superlattice engineering in van der Waals heterostructures (e.\,g.\ by moiré engineering) provides a powerful platform for designing electronic bands and realising correlated and topological quantum phenomena. Here, we pioneer a scheme to tailor superpotentials based on intrinsic substrate electronic orders. We show that this establishes a robust, self-aligned, and highly versatile route to band-structure control as we demonstrate in graphene by engineering two distinct, nearly commensurate superlattices using the charge density waves of 1T-NbSe$_2$. In these superlattices the graphene's Dirac cones are folded either to the $Γ$-point or to the K-points of the mini-Brillouin zone. Using scanning tunnelling microscopy, we observe that the $Γ$-folded system preserves C$_3$ symmetry, while the K-folded system exhibits spontaneous symmetry breaking. Combining density functional theory with an interlayer interaction model, we reveal that this difference is not electronically driven but originates from a structural instability. Our work establishes superlattice engineering for designer quantum states and unveils a structural mechanism for controlled emergent symmetry breaking. |
| title | Tailoring spontaneous symmetry breaking in engineered van der Waals superlattices |
| topic | Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.15787 |