Squeezing quantum states in three-dimensional twisted crystals
Phys. Rev. B 111, 245156 – Published 25 June, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/cj2q-f9q2
Abstract
Bloch's theorem provides a conventional starting point for describing wave propagation in periodic media, but in ordered materials where competing spatial periods coexist it is rendered ineffective, often with dramatic consequences. Here we develop an alternate approach that uses coherent free-particle vortex states to study quantum states in supertwisted crystals: three-dimensional stacks of atomically thin two-dimensional layers. This formalism leads naturally to the representation of the spectrum using squeezed coherent states, and it reveals the crucial role of a Coriolis coupling in the equations of motion. This identifies an underlying noncommutative geometry and novel edge state structure in a family of complex ordered structures.
