Hierarchical Relaxation in Large-twist-angle Moire Drives Supermoire Formation
Abstract
Supermoire lattices in large-angle twisted bilayers have recently been shown to emerge from periodic arrangements of commensurate stacking motifs, yet the microscopic structural mechanism governing their formation has remained unresolved. Here, we uncover the microscopic origin of supermoire order as a hierarchical lattice relaxation process. Combining force-field simulations with experimental validation via super-resolution, layer-resolved multislice electron ptychography, our results identify interlayer Se-Se repulsion at the picometer scale as the driving force, giving rise to coupled short-range (about 1 nm) moire relaxation and coexisting long-range (about 10 nm) supermoire modulation. These findings demonstrate that even picometer-scale lattice relaxation remains critical in large-angle moire systems and must be explicitly considered in understanding their emergent electronic and quantum phenomena.
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BibTeX
@misc{shi2026hierarchical,
title = {{Hierarchical Relaxation in Large-twist-angle Moire Drives Supermoire Formation}},
author = {Chuqiao Shi and Giovanny Espitia and Yanxing Li and Yi Jiang and Yiyuan Luo and Xu Qi and Kaiwen Yang and Xiaohui Liu and Xiaoqin Li and Chih-Kang Shih and Mit H. Naik and Yimo Han},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2610.10817},
eprint = {2610.10817},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.10817},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Hierarchical Relaxation in Large-twist-angle Moire Drives Supermoire Formation
AU - Chuqiao Shi
AU - Giovanny Espitia
AU - Yanxing Li
AU - Yi Jiang
AU - Yiyuan Luo
AU - Xu Qi
AU - Kaiwen Yang
AU - Xiaohui Liu
AU - Xiaoqin Li
AU - Chih-Kang Shih
AU - Mit H. Naik
AU - Yimo Han
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/07
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2610.10817
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.10817
AB - Supermoire lattices in large-angle twisted bilayers have recently been shown to emerge from periodic arrangements of commensurate stacking motifs, yet the microscopic structural mechanism governing their formation has remained unresolved. Here, we uncover the microscopic origin of supermoire order as a hierarchical lattice relaxation process. Combining force-field simulations with experimental validation via super-resolution, layer-resolved multislice electron ptychography, our results identify interlayer Se-Se repulsion at the picometer scale as the driving force, giving rise to coupled short-range (about 1 nm) moire relaxation and coexisting long-range (about 10 nm) supermoire modulation. These findings demonstrate that even picometer-scale lattice relaxation remains critical in large-angle moire systems and must be explicitly considered in understanding their emergent electronic and quantum phenomena.
ER -