Since 2018, condensed-matter physicists have been fascinated by so-called moiré materials, stacks of atomically thin crystalline layers that are slightly twisted or otherwise misaligned relative to each other. These small misalignments change how electrons move and interact, potentially inducing superconductivity and other unusual electronic effects. Now Yan Sun at the University of Paris-Saclay and her colleagues have shown how the phenomena accessible in moiré materials can be enriched by adding lead iodide, a layered semiconductor with an intrinsically strong coupling between electron spin and orbital motion [1].
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