AWhat changed
Kang and colleagues measured local and nonlocal transport in small-angle twisted MoTe₂, finding connection-dependent conductance plateaus consistent with integer and fractional spin-Hall edge transport. At filling 3, the inferred edge contribution was near 3e²/(2h). Follow-up measurements on the same transport device resolved a finite hysteretic Hall response below about 20 mT, despite an almost zero response at larger fields. Magnetic circular dichroism in a nearby region supplied complementary evidence of spontaneous time-reversal symmetry breaking, narrowing interpretations of the fractional state.
Scientific scope
Kang and colleagues measured local and nonlocal transport in small-angle twisted MoTe₂, finding connection-dependent conductance plateaus consistent with integer and fractional spin-Hall edge transport. At filling 3, the inferred edge contribution was near 3e²/(2h). Follow-up measurements on the same transport device resolved a finite hysteretic Hall response below about 20 mT, despite an almost zero response at larger fields. Magnetic circular dichroism in a nearby region supplied complementary evidence of spontaneous time-reversal symmetry breaking, narrowing interpretations of the fractional state. Fractional edge transport is inferred using contact-resistance calibration and a Landauer–Büttiker equilibration model; nonlocal signals depart from ideal values and bulk conduction can contribute. The optical probe samples a different region, with a slightly smaller twist angle and a higher base temperature, than the transport channel. Low-field hysteresis changes the early time-reversal-symmetric interpretation but does not identify a unique microscopic topological order. Fractional quasiparticle charge, non-Abelian statistics and protected computation were not directly demonstrated. The 2024 and 2025 preprints have different author lists; the final published version may contain additional changes.
Evidence
The linked original works support the scoped statement and contribution attribution. WRS has not independently replayed experiments or reconstructed a full mathematical proof. Fractional edge transport is inferred using contact-resistance calibration and a Landauer–Büttiker equilibration model; nonlocal signals depart from ideal values and bulk conduction can contribute. The optical probe samples a different region, with a slightly smaller twist angle and a higher base temperature, than the transport channel. Low-field hysteresis changes the early time-reversal-symmetric interpretation but does not identify a unique microscopic topological order. Fractional quasiparticle charge, non-Abelian statistics and protected computation were not directly demonstrated. The 2024 and 2025 preprints have different author lists; the final published version may contain additional changes.
Contributors
- The named authors in the research record · SCIENCE: These are the listed authors of the cited contribution sources. Paper authorship does not quantify individual effort. An incomplete list is explicitly marked; same names are not automatically merged.
- Observation of the fractional quantum spin Hall effect in moiré MoTe2 (arXiv2402.03294v2)
- Time-reversal symmetry breaking fractional quantum spin Hall insulator in moiré MoTe2 (arXiv2501.02525v3)
Provisional WRS assessment, edition 2026-10-28.1. Independent expert calibration is pending. This grade does not certify correctness or assign ownership.
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