Understanding the mechanism of high temperature (high T c ) superconductivity is a central problem in condensed matter physics. It is often speculated that high T c superconductivity arises from a doped Mott insulator 1 as described by the Hubbard model 2-4 . An exact solution of the Hubbard model, however, is extremely challenging due to the strong electron-electron correlation. Therefore, it is highly desirable to experimentally study a model Hubbard system in which the unconventional superconductivity can be continuously tuned by varying the Hubbard parameters. Here we report signatures of tunable superconductivity in an ABC-trilayer graphene (TLG) / boron nitride (hBN) moiré superlattice. Unlike "magic angle" twisted bilayer graphene, theoretical calculations show that under a vertical displacement field the ABC-TLG/hBN heterostructure features an isolated flat valence miniband associated with a Hubbard model on a triangular superlattice 5,6 . Upon applying such a displacement field we find experimentally that the ABC-TLG/hBN superlattice displays Mott insulating states below 20 kelvin at 1/4 and 1/2 fillings, corresponding to 1 and 2 holes per unit cell, respectively. Upon further cooling, signatures of superconducting domes emerge below 1 kelvin for the electron-and hole-doped sides of the 1/4 filling Mott state. The electronic behavior in the TLG/hBN superlattice is expected to depend sensitively on the interplay between the electron-electron interaction and the miniband bandwidth, which can be tuned continuously with the displacement field D. By simply varying the D field, we demonstrate transitions from the candidate superconductor to Mott insulator and metallic phases. Our study shows that TLG/hBN heterostructures offer an attractive model system to explore rich correlated behavior emerging in the tunable triangular Hubbard model.
Layer-stacking domain walls in bilayer graphene are emerging as a fascinating one-dimensional system that features stacking solitons structurally and quantum valley Hall boundary states electronically. The interactions between electrons in the 2D graphene domains and the one-dimensional domain-wall solitons can lead to further new quantum phenomena. Domain-wall solitons of varied local structures exist along different crystallographic orientations, which can exhibit distinct electrical, mechanical and optical properties. Here we report soliton-dependent 2D graphene plasmon reflection at different 1D domain-wall solitons in bilayer graphene using near-field infrared nanoscopy. We observe various domain-wall structures in mechanically exfoliated graphene bilayers, including network-forming triangular lattices, individual straight or bent lines, and even closed circles. The near-field infrared contrast of domain-wall solitons arises from plasmon reflection at domain walls, and exhibits markedly different behaviours at the tensile- and shear-type domain-wall solitons. In addition, the plasmon reflection at domain walls exhibits a peculiar dependence on electrostatic gating. Our study demonstrates the unusual and tunable coupling between 2D graphene plasmons and domain-wall solitons.
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