Revealing Electron–Electron Interactions in Graphene at Room Temperature with a Quantum Twisting Microscope
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: A quantum twisting microscope (QTM) enables energy- and momentum-resolved measurements of quantum phases through tunneling spectroscopy in twistable van der Waals heterostructures. Here, we improve its resolution and extend its range to higher energies and twist angles by integrating hexagonal boron nitride as a tunneling dielectric. This advance reveals previously inaccessible dispersion features in tunneling between two monolayer graphene sheets, consistent with a logarithmic correction to the linear Dirac spectrum arising from electron-electron interactions, with a fine-structure constant α ≈ 0.32 ± 0.01. Remarkably, these extremely subtle corrections are resolved even at room temperature. Our results highlight the exceptional sensitivity of the QTM, where interferometric interlayer tunneling amplifies small band-structure modifications. They further show that strong electron-electron interactions persist in symmetric, nonordered graphene states and demonstrate the QTM's capability to probe spectral functions and excitations of correlated ground states across twisted and untwisted two-dimensional systems.
Source: Nano Letters
Language: English
Subfield: Materials Chemistry
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Kavli Foundation, Hertz Foundation, Princeton University, Schmidt Family Foundation, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation, Keele University, Klaus Tschira Stiftung, Office of Naval Research, Division of Materials Research, H2020 European Research Council, HORIZON EUROPE European Innovation Council
Awards: G231474785, Emergent Phenomena in Quantum Systems Theory Center, Auf der Suche nach einem quantenkritischen Punkt – Thermodynamische Untersuchungen der supraleitenden und inkohärenten Metall Phasen in verdrehtem DoppelschichtGraphen, Understanding unconventional superconductivity in twisted flatlands, Interactions, Superconductivity, Catalysis and Topology In Flat Bands, G5096419125, Predicting Zero-Magnetic-Field Fractional Topological States in Twisted Graphene Systems, Flat Bands for Quantum Metrology, G6536552022
OpenAlex ID: W7138167518