Evidence for a charged vortex lattice in an exciton superfluid
How to prepare an accurate paper press kit? Illustrated guide
Ryan L. Lee, Jungwoo Lee, Viliam Vaňo, Bo Zou, Cheng-Li Chiu, Kenji Watanabe et al. · arXiv: 2610.37781v1 · Summary page
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Charged vortices mark an electrically neutral condensate
Excitons are bound electron–hole pairs and are electrically neutral, making an exciton superfluid’s vortices difficult to access through the familiar magnetic-field route used in superconductors. In a graphene bilayer separated by a thin hexagonal boron nitride barrier, researchers report scanning tunnelling microscope images consistent with a predicted vortex–antivortex lattice. Under a strong magnetic field, a weakly charged exciton superfluid can support vortices whose fractionally charged cores repel one another.
The observed lattice spacing follows the total excess charge and is insensitive to how that charge is divided between the layers, in quantitative agreement with the theory. The preprint presents this as evidence for phase coherence, rather than simply an image of charge ordering without a proposed connection to superfluidity. It offers a way to investigate a neutral collective state through the electrical signatures of its defects.
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