Dirac-point spectroscopy of flat-band systems with the quantum twisting microscope

Motivated by the recent development of the quantum twisting microscope, we formulate a theory of elastic momentum-resolved tunneling across a planar tunnel junction between a monolayer graphene layer situated on a tip and a twisting graphene-based sample. We elucidate features in the dependence of the tunnel current on bias and twist angle, which reflect the sample band structure and allow the tip to probe the momentum-and energy-resolved single-particle excitations of the sample. While the strongest features originate from the Fermi edge of the tip, we argue that features associated with the tip Dirac points provide a more immediate and precise map of the sample band structure. We specifically compute the low-temperature tunneling spectrum of magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene (MATBG) rotated relative to the tip by nearly commensurate angles, highlighting the potential of Dirac-point spectroscopy to measure single-particle spectral functions of flat bands along specific lines in reciprocal space. Furthermore, our analysis of tunneling matrix elements suggests a method to extract the ratio of the intrasublattice and intersublattice tunneling parameters 𝑤0/𝑤1 of MATBG from the differential tunneling conductance. Finally, we discuss signatures of 𝐶3⁢𝑧-symmetry breaking in the tunneling spectrum using strained MATBG as an example. Our work establishes a general theoretical framework for Dirac-point spectroscopy of flat-band systems using the quantum twisting microscope.