Hyperbolic enhancement of photocurrent patterns in minimally twisted bilayer graphene

S. S. Sunku, D. Halbertal, T. Stauber, S. Chen, A. S. McLeod, A. Rikhter, M. E. Berkowitz, C. F. B. Lo, D. E. Gonzalez-Acevedo, J. C. Hone, C. R. Dean, M. M. Fogler and D. N. Basov

Nature Communications 12,1641 (2021)
Quasi-periodic moiré patterns and their effect on electronic properties of twisted bilayer graphene have been intensely studied. At small twist angle θ, due to atomic reconstruction, the moiré superlattice morphs into a network of narrow domain walls separating micron-scale AB and BA stacking regions. We use scanning probe photocurrent imaging to resolve nanoscale variations of the Seebeck coefficient occurring at these domain walls. The observed features become enhanced in a range of mid-infrared frequencies where the hexagonal boron nitride substrate is optically hyperbolic. Our results illustrate the capabilities of the nano-photocurrent technique for probing nanoscale electronic inhomogeneities in two-dimensional materials.