Moiré Heterostructures Achieve Superconductivity Without Attraction

Researchers have proposed a novel pathway to achieving superconductivity in a bilayer moiré heterostructure, circumventing the need to amplify attractive forces between electrons, a longstanding challenge in the field. The work, authored by Tsung-Sheng Huang of the Joint Quantum Institute at the University of Maryland and colleagues from ETH Z¨urich and University of Cologne, details how superconductivity emerges as a stable, stationary state. The key ingredient is a bilayer moiré platform in which the layer degree of freedom acts as a pseudospin, allowing the pseudospin structure required for pairing to be implemented through optically induced spatial operations. In contrast, under conditions of collective dissipation, the same platform exhibits an early-time superradiant burst. The results establish driven-dissipative moiré heterostructures as a promising platform for preparing superconductivity, while also revealing a connection between steady-state pairing and transient superradiance. A surprising…