Conclusive observation of interlayer electron coherence at zero magnetic field

Establish conclusively whether interlayer electron coherence occurs at zero magnetic field in bilayer transition-metal dichalcogenides by providing unambiguous experimental evidence of spontaneous interlayer electron coherence without relying on quantum Hall conditions.

Background

Interlayer electron coherence has been theoretically proposed and observed in quantum Hall bilayers, where Landau-level quantization quenches kinetic energy and favors ordered phases. Outside the quantum Hall regime, its existence has not been conclusively demonstrated. The authors report optical signatures in MoS2 homobilayers consistent with fluctuating interlayer coherence but stop short of claiming a conclusive observation at zero magnetic field.

Demonstrating this phenomenon unambiguously at Bz = 0 would validate a key many-body state in strongly interacting bilayer TMDs and firmly connect observed stochastic exciton hybridization to spontaneous interlayer electron coherence.

References

This correlated state has been proposed theoretically and experimentally established in quantum Hall bilayers, where the strong magnetic field quenches the electron kinetic energy and, thus, favors an ordered phase, but it has not yet been conclusively observed at $B_z = 0$.

— Optical signatures of interlayer electron coherence in a bilayer semiconductor (2409.08329 - Liu et al., 12 Sep 2024) in Main text, paragraph beginning 'In particular, one potential candidate is interlayer electron coherence' (after Fig. 3)