Twirling and spontaneous symmetry breaking of domain wall networks in lattice-reconstructed heterostructures of 2D materials

Abstract: Lattice relaxation in twistronic bilayers with close lattice parameters and almost perfect crystallographic alignment of the layers results in the transformation of moir\'e pattern into a sequence of preferential stacking domains and domain wall networks. Here, we show that reconstructed moir\'e superlattices of the perfectly aligned heterobilayers of same-chalcogen transition metal dichalcogenides have broken-symmetry structures featuring twisted nodes ('twirls') of domain wall networks. Analysing twist-angle-dependences of strain characteristics for the broken-symmetry structures we show that the formation of twirl reduces amount of hydrostatic strain around the nodes, potentially, reducing their infuence on the band edge energies of electrons and holes.