Revealing Electron–Electron Interactions in Graphene at Room Temperature with a Quantum Twisting Microscope

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Authors: Martin Lee, I. Das, J. Herzog-Arbeitman, J. Papp, J. Li, Maximilian Daschner, Z. Zhou, M. Bhatt, M. Currle, J. Yu, Y. Jiang, Markus Becherer
+11 more R. Mittermeier, Philipp Altpeter, C. Obermayer, H. Lorenz, G. Chavez, B. T. Le, J.L.D. Williams, K. Watanabe, T. Taniguchi, B. A. Bernevig, D. K. Efetov
Cited by: 4
References: 40

Abstract

A quantum twisting microscope (QTM) enables energy- and momentum-resolved measurements of quantum phases through tunneling spectroscopy in twistable van der Waals heterostructures. Here, we improve its resolution and extend its range to higher energies and twist angles by integrating hexagonal boron nitride as a tunneling dielectric. This advance reveals previously inaccessible dispersion features in tunneling between two monolayer graphene sheets, consistent with a logarithmic correction to the linear Dirac spectrum arising from electron-electron interactions, with a fine-structure constant α ≈ 0.32 ± 0.01. Remarkably, these extremely subtle corrections are resolved even at room temperature. Our results highlight the exceptional sensitivity of the QTM, where interferometric interlayer tunneling amplifies small band-structure modifications. They further show that strong electron-electron interactions persist in symmetric, nonordered graphene states and demonstrate the QTM's capability to probe spectral functions and excitations of correlated ground states across twisted and untwisted two-dimensional systems.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Graphene research and applications Topological Materials and Phenomena Quantum and electron transport phenomena

Publication details

Journal / source
Nano Letters
Publisher
American Chemical Society (ACS)
Volume
26
Issue
12
Pages
4046–4052
Publication date
17 March 2026
Language
EN