We investigate the twisted bilayer graphene by a two-orbital Hubbard model on the honeycomb lattice. The model is studied near 1/4 band filling by using the singular-mode functional renormalization group theory. Spin-triplet $f$-wave pairing is found from weak to moderate coupling limit of the local interactions, and is associated with the Hunds rule coupling and incommensurate spin fluctuations at moderate momenta.
We investigate the interplay of magnetic fluctuations and Cooper pairing in twisted bilayer graphene from a purely microscopic model within a large-scale tight-binding approach resolving the AA ngstrom scale. For local onsite repulsive interactions and using the random-phase approximation for spin fluctuations, we derive a microscopic effective pairing interaction that we use for self-consistent solutions of the Bogoliubov-de-Gennes equations of superconductivity. We study the predominant pairing types as function of interaction strength, temperature and band filling. For large regions of this parameter space, we find chiral $d$-wave pairing regimes, spontaneously breaking time-reversal symmetry, separated by magnetic instabilities at integer band fillings. Interestingly, the $d$-wave pairing is strongly concentrated in the AA regions of the moire unit cell and exhibits phase windings of integer multiples of $2pi$ around these superconducting islands, i.e. pinned vortices. The spontaneous circulating current creates a distinctive magnetic field pattern. This signature of the chiral pairing should be measurable by state-of-the-art experimental techniques.
When two sheets of graphene are stacked at a small twist angle, the resulting flat superlattice minibands are expected to strongly enhance electron-electron interactions. Here we present evidence that near three-quarters ($3/4$) filling of the conduction miniband these enhanced interactions drive the twisted bilayer graphene into a ferromagnetic state. We observe emergent ferromagnetic hysteresis, with a giant anomalous Hall (AH) effect as large as $10.4 mathrm{kOmega}$ and signs of chiral edge states in a narrow density range around an apparent insulating state at $3/4$. Surprisingly, the magnetization of the sample can be reversed by applying a small DC current. Although the AH resistance is not quantized and dissipation is significant, we suggest that the system is an incipient Chern insulator.
Twisted bilayer graphene exhibits a panoply of many-body phenomena that are intimately tied to the appearance of narrow and well isolated electronic bands near magic-angle. The microscopic ingredients that are responsible for the complex experimental phenomenology include electron-electron (phonon) interactions and non-trivial Bloch wavefunctions associated with the narrow bands. Inspired by recent experiments, we focus here on an interplay of two independent interaction-induced phenomena on superconductivity. We analyze the combined effects of Coulomb interaction driven band-flattening and phonon-mediated attraction due to the exchange of multiple electron-phonon umklapp processes, as a function of filling and twist angle. The former leads to a filling-dependent enhancement of the renormalized density of states, which contributes to a robust increase in the tendency towards pairing in a range of angles near magic-angle. In addition, the minimal spatial extent associated with the Wannier functions develops a non-trivial enhancement as a result of these many-body renormalizations, which can further contribute towards stabilizing the superconducting state over a wider range of fillings and twist-angles.
When two graphene sheets are twisted relative to each other by a small angle, enhanced correlations lead to superconductivity whose origin remains under debate. Here, we derive some general constraints on superconductivity in twisted bilayer graphene (TBG), independent of its underlying mechanism. Neglecting weak coupling between valleys, the global symmetry group of TBG consists of independent spin rotations in each valley in addition to valley charge rotations, $ {rm SU}(2) times {rm SU}(2) times {rm U}_V(1) $. This symmetry is further enhanced to a full ${rm SU}(4)$ in the idealized chiral limit. In both cases, we show that any charge $2e$ pairing must break the global symmetry. Additionally, if the pairing is unitary the resulting superconductor admits fractional vortices. This leads to the following general statement: Any superconducting condensate in either symmetry class has to satisfy one of three possibilities: (i) the superconducting pairing is non-unitary, (ii) the superconducting condensate has charge $2e$ but admits at least half quantum vortices which carry a flux of $h/4e$, or (iii) the superconducting condensate has charge $2me$, $m>1$, with vortices carrying $h/2me$ flux. The latter possibility can be realized by a symmetric charge $4e$ superconductor ($m=2$). Non-unitary pairing (i) is expected in TBG for superconductors observed in the vicinity of flavor polarized states. On the other hand, in the absence of flavor polarization, e.g. in the vicinity of charge neutrality, one of the two exotic possibilities (ii) and (iii) is expected. We sketch how all three scenarios can be realized in different limits within a strong coupling theory of superconductivity based on skyrmions. Finally we discuss the effect of symmetry lowering anisotropies and experimental implications of these scenarios.
We propose a lattice scale two-band generalized Hubbard model as a caricature of the electronic structure of twisted bilayer graphene. Various possible broken symmetry phases can arise, including a nematic phase (which is a form of orbital ferromagnet) and an orbital-triplet spin-singlet superconducting phase. Concerning the mechanism of superconductivity -- we propose an analogy with superconductivity in alkali-doped C$_{60}$ in which a violation of Hunds first rule plays a central role.