moiré superlattices

Moiré superlattices can be used to engineer strongly correlated phenomena in van der Waals heterostructures, as recently demonstrated in graphene-based systems. Aligned transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) heterostructures may also support correlated electronic states, with additional opportunities arising from the strong-light matter interaction and large spin-orbital coupling. Using a novel optical detection technique, we observe correlated electronic phases in semiconducting WSe₂/WS₂ moiré superlattices. Further, we demonstrate that the spin-valley optical selection rules in TMDCs can be used to optically create and study low-energy spin excitations in the correlated states.