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In a dilute two-dimensional electron gas, Coulomb interactions can stabilize the formation of a Wigner crystal. Although Wigner crystals are topologically trivial, it has been predicted that electrons in a partially filled band can break continuous translational symmetry and time-reversal symmetry spontaneously, resulting in a type of topological electron crystal known as an anomalous Hall crystal. Here we report signatures of a generalized version of the anomalous Hall crystal in twisted bilayer–trilayer graphene, whose formation is driven by the moiré potential. The crystal forms at a band filling of one electron per four moiré unit cells (ν = 1/4) and quadruples the unit-cell area, coinciding with an integer quantum anomalous Hall effect. The Chern number of the state is exceptionally tunable, and it can be switched reversibly between +1 and −1 by electric and magnetic fields. Several other topological electronic crystals arise in a modest magnetic field, originating from ν = 1/3, 1/2, 2/3 and 3/2. The quantum geometry of the interaction-modified bands is likely to be very different from that of the original parent band, which enables possible future discoveries of correlation-driven topological phenomena.

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• In Copyright
  

  This version of the article has been accepted for publication, after peer review (when applicable) and is subject to Springer Nature’s AM terms of use, but is not the Version of Record and does not reflect post-acceptance improvements, or any corrections. The Version of Record is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08239-6

Keyword: Anomalous Hall crystal, Twisted bilayer–trilayer graphene, Moiré potential

Date published: 2025-01-30

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Journal:

• Nature (ISSN: 00280836) vol. 637 issue. 8048 p. 1084-1089

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Manuscript type: Author's version (Accepted manuscript)

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First published URL: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08239-6

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Updated at: 2026-08-05 09:19:45 +0900

Published on MDR: 2026-08-05 10:30:24 +0900