Dresden 2026 – scientific programme
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TT: Fachverband Tiefe Temperaturen
TT 44: Nonequilibrium Quantum Systems I (joint session TT/DY)
TT 44.4: Talk
Wednesday, March 11, 2026, 10:15–10:30, CHE/0091
Frozen non-equilibrium dynamics of exciton Mott insulators in moiré superlattices — Shibin Deng1, •Jonas Reimann2, Heonjoon Park3, Jonas M. Peterson1, Ammon Fischer2, Xiaodong Xu3, Dante M. Kennes2,4, and Libai Huang1 — 1Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA — 2Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Center for Free Electron Laser Science, 22761 Hamburg, Germany — 3Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA — 4Institut für Theorie der Statistischen Physik, RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen, Germany
Moiré superlattices, such as those formed from transition metal dichalcogenide heterostructures, have emerged as an exciting platform for exploring quantum many-body physics. A key open question is the coherence and dynamics of the quantum phases arising from photoexcited moiré excitons, particularly amid dissipation. Here we use transient photoluminescence and ultrafast reflectance microscopy to image non-equilibrium exciton phase transitions. Counterintuitively, experimental results and theoretical simulations indicate that strong long-range dipolar repulsion freezes the motion of the Mott insulator phase for over 70 ns. In mixed electron-exciton lattices, reduced dipolar interactions lead to diminished freezing dynamics. These findings challenge the prevailing notion that repulsion disperses particles, whereas attraction binds them. This talk focuses on the theoretical efforts that support the experimental data.
Keywords: Moiré superlattice; excitons; non-equilibrium dynamics