• 文献标题:   Valley order and loop currents in graphene on hexagonal boron nitride
  • 文献类型:   Article
  • 作  者:   UCHOA B, KOTOV VN, KINDERMANN M
  • 作者关键词:  
  • 出版物名称:   PHYSICAL REVIEW B
  • ISSN:   1098-0121 EI 1550-235X
  • 通讯作者地址:   Univ Oklahoma
  • 被引频次:   8
  • DOI:   10.1103/PhysRevB.91.121412
  • 出版年:   2015

▎ 摘  要

We examine the role of Coulomb interactions in the emergence of macroscopically ordered states in graphene supported on hexagonal boron nitride substrates. Due to incommensuration effects with the substrate and interactions, graphene can develop gapped low-energy modes that spatially conform into a triangular superlattice of quantum rings. In the presence of these modes, we show that Coulomb interactions lead to spontaneous formation of chiral loop currents in bulk and to macroscopic spin-valley order at zero temperature. We show that this exotic state breaks time-reversal symmetry and can be detected with interferometry and polar Kerr measurements.