Quantum phases in twisted homobilayer transition metal dichalcogenides

Abstract

Twisted homobilayer transition metal dichalcogenides—specifically twisted bilayer MoTe2 and twisted bilayer WSe2—have recently emerged as a versatile platform for strongly correlated and topological phases of matter. These two-dimensional systems host tunable flat Chern bands in which Coulomb interactions can dominate over kinetic energy, giving rise to a variety of interaction-driven phenomena. A series of groundbreaking experiments have revealed a rich landscape of quantum phases, including integer and fractional quantum anomalous Hall states, quantum spin Hall states, anomalous Hall metals, zero-field composite Fermi liquids and unconventional superconductors, along with more conventional topologically trivial correlated states, including antiferromagnets. This review surveys recent experimental discoveries and theoretical progress in understanding these phases, with a focus on the key underlying mechanisms—band topology, electron interactions, symmetry breaking and charge fractionalization. We emphasize the unique physics of twisted transition metal dichalcogenide homobilayers in comparison to other related systems, discuss open questions and outline promising directions for future research.