Collective excitations in twisted bilayer graphene close to the magic angle

Abstract

The electronic properties of twisted bilayer graphene (TBG) can be dramatically different from those of a single graphene layer, in particular when the two layers are rotated relative to each other by a small angle. TBG has recently attracted a great deal of interest, sparked by the discovery of correlated insulating and superconducting states, for twist angle $\theta$ close to a so-called 'magic angle' $\approx 1.1{\deg}$. In this work, we unveil, via near-field optical microscopy, a collective plasmon mode in charge-neutral TBG near the magic angle, which is dramatically different from the ordinary single-layer graphene intraband plasmon. In selected regions of our samples, we find a gapped collective mode with linear dispersion, akin to the bulk magnetoplasmons of a two-dimensional (2D) electron gas. We interpret these as interband plasmons and associate those with the optical transitions between quasi-localized states originating from the moir\'e superlattice. Surprisingly, we find a higher plasmon group velocity than expected, which implies an enhanced strength of the corresponding optical transition. This points to a weaker interlayer coupling in the AA regions. These intriguing optical properties offer new insights, complementary to other techniques, on the carrier dynamics in this novel quantum electron system.