Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 11, 2026

11:24
Optimized Fabrication Procedure for High-Quality Graphene-based Moiré Superlattice Devices
Published on: July 11, 2025
Heavy-Fermion Phase Diagram in Magic-Angle Twisted Trilayer Graphene
Le Zhang1,2, Wenqiang Zhou1, Xinjie Fang1
1Westlake University, Key Laboratory for Quantum Materials of Zhejiang Province, Department of Physics, School of Science, Hangzhou, China.
Physical Review Letters
|August 10, 2026
Summary
We demonstrate an electrically tunable heavy fermion phase diagram in magic-angle twisted trilayer graphene. This platform allows control over quantum phase transitions and offers new avenues for exploring exotic quantum states.
Area of Science:
- Condensed matter physics
- Quantum materials
- Two-dimensional heterostructures
Background:
- Localized magnetic moments and itinerant electrons drive exotic quantum states.
- Moiré heterostructures offer tunable electronic properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate an electrically tunable heavy fermion phase diagram in magic-angle twisted trilayer graphene.
- To explore quantum phase transitions and correlated quantum phases in 2D systems.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing a displacement field to control Kondo hybridization.
- Investigating the interplay between localized flat-band electrons and itinerant Dirac electrons.
Main Results:
- Observed a continuous quantum phase transition from antiferromagnetic semimetal to paramagnetic heavy fermion metal.
- Detected effective mass divergence and Fermi surface reconstruction at the quantum critical point.
Conclusions:
- Magic-angle twisted trilayer graphene provides a tunable platform for heavy fermion physics.
- Moiré heterostructures are versatile for exploring 2D correlated quantum phases, including unconventional superconductivity.
Related Concept Videos
Phase Diagram
The phase of a given substance depends on the pressure and temperature. Thus, plots of pressure versus temperature showing the phase in each region provide considerable insights into the thermal properties of substances. Such plots are known as phase diagrams. For instance, in the phase diagram for water (Figure 1), the solid curve boundaries between the phases indicate phase transitions (i.e., temperatures and pressures at which the phases coexist).
Phase Diagram
A phase diagram is a graphical representation of the physical states of a substance under different conditions of temperature and pressure. It shows the boundaries between solid, liquid, and gas phases and the conditions at which these phases coexist in equilibrium. An area in a phase diagram represents a single phase, whereas lines or phase boundaries represent the equilibrium between two phases.In the phase diagram of water, the boundary line between the solid and liquid states illustrates...
Phase Diagrams of Ternary Systems
Consider a ternary system, which is composed of three components: water (W), ethanoic acid (E), and trichloromethane (T). Here, Ethanoic acid (E) is fully miscible with both water (W) and trichloromethane (T), meaning it can mix entirely with either of them. However, water and trichloromethane have partial miscibility, meaning they can only mix to a certain extent, beyond which two separate phases will form.The phase diagram of a ternary system is represented as an equilateral triangle, where...
Phase Diagrams
A phase diagram combines plots of pressure versus temperature for the liquid-gas, solid-liquid, and solid-gas phase-transition equilibria of a substance. These diagrams indicate the physical states that exist under specific conditions of pressure and temperature and also provide the pressure dependence of the phase-transition temperatures (melting points, sublimation points, boiling points). Regions or areas labeled solid, liquid, and gas represent single phases, while lines or curves represent...
Valence Bond Theory
Coordination compounds and complexes exhibit different colors, geometries, and magnetic behavior, depending on the metal atom/ion and ligands from which they are composed. In an attempt to explain the bonding and structure of coordination complexes, Linus Pauling proposed the valence bond theory, or VBT, using the concepts of hybridization and the overlapping of the atomic orbitals. According to VBT, the central metal atom or ion (Lewis acid) hybridizes to provide empty orbitals of suitable...
Fermi Level
The Fermi-Dirac function is represented by an S-shaped curve indicating the probability of an energy state being occupied by an electron at a given temperature. The Fermi level is the energy level at which there is a fifty percent chance of finding an electron, and it is positioned between the lower-energy valence band and the higher-energy conduction band.
At absolute zero temperature, electrons fill all energy states up to the Fermi level, leaving upper states empty. As the temperature rises,...
At absolute zero temperature, electrons fill all energy states up to the Fermi level, leaving upper states empty. As the temperature rises,...
