This research uncovers how layer-pseudospin affects intralayer and interlayer pairing in superconducting MoTe2, suggesting new tunable states.
Recent experiments have observed signatures of spin-valley-polarized unconventional superconductivity in twisted bilayer MoTe₂ (tMoTe₂). Here, we explore the rich physics of superconducting tMoTe₂, enabled by its unique layer-pseudospin structure. Within a minimal two-orbital layer-pseudospin model framework, both interlayer and intralayer Cooper pairings can be effectively visualized using a layer-space Bloch sphere representation. Remarkably, we find that interlayer pairing prevails in the spin-valley-polarized state, whereas intralayer pairing dominates in the spin-valley-unpolarized state. Strikingly, we further predict that for spin-valley-polarized intravalley superconducting state, experimentally feasible weak displacement fields can stabilize finite-momentum pairings at low temperatures. Additionally, in-plane magnetic fields, which break three-fold rotational symmetry, induce field-direction-dependent finite-momentum pairing states, leading to a versatile momentum-selection phase diagram. Our work highlights the crucial role of layer pseudospin in tMoTe₂'s unconventional superconductivity and demonstrates its unique tunability via external fields.
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Hu et al. (2025) studied this question.
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