Field induced Chern insulating states in twisted monolayer–bilayer graphene

Abstract

Unraveling the mechanism underlying topological phases, notably the Chern insulators (ChIs) in strong correlated systems at the microscopy scale, has captivated significant research interest. Nonetheless, ChIs harboring topological information have not always manifested themselves, owing to the constraints imposed by displacement fields in certain experimental configurations. In this study, we employ density-tuned scanning tunneling microscopy (DT-STM) to investigate the ChIs in twisted monolayer–bilayer graphene (tMBG). At zero magnetic field, we observe correlated metallic states. While under a magnetic field, a metal–insulator transition happens and an integer ChI is formed emanating from the filling index s = 3 with a Chern number C = 1. Our results underscore the pivotal role of magnetic fields as a powerful probe for elucidating topological phases in twisted Van der Waals heterostructures.