Work

Importance of electron-phonon coupling near the electron-liquid to Wigner-crystal transition in two-dimensional atomically thin materials

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Motivated by recent experiments on atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), the authors explore here the role of electron-phonon coupling in the location of the fluid-to-liquid transition point of electrons. They highlight that phonons (illustrated as the blue background) can gain more energy when electrons form a Wigner crystal compared to when they are in a liquid state. Their findings demonstrate that this effect significantly affects TMDs and other atomically thin materials, while its impact remains negligible in quantum wells. This is consistent with previous experimental results.

Source: Physical review. B./Physical review. B

DOI: 10.1103/physrevb.110.l241104

Authors: Tixuan Tan, Vladimir Calvera, Steven A. Kivelson

Institutions: Stanford University, University of California, Santa Barbara, Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics

Language: English

Topic: Quantum and electron transport phenomena

Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Science Foundation, Division of Materials Research, Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara

Awards: G3398237449, G4689434848, NSF-BSF: Theory of Quantum Materials, Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics