• vdW heterostructures offer the possibility of engineering “moiré” superlattices (~10-100 nm), much larger than the intrinsic atomic lattice of a crystal (<1 nm). These moiré superlattices give rise to large periodic potentials that can dramatically modify the electronic band structure, in particular leading to strong electron correlations and nontrivial topology that result in exotic phases such as superconductivity and correlated magnetism. We are interested in studying various forms of moiré quantum matter, using both quantum transport and local defect tunneling microscopy measurements.

Atomic SET enables us to locally image moiré superlattices by tunneling through atomic defects in a scannable vdW heterostructure. By monitoring tunneling through an individual defect quantum dot, we can map out the electrostatic potential landscape imposed by the moiré pattern.