Research paperTheoreticalComputational MultiscaleLattice Relaxation Flattens Chern Bands in Rhombohedral Graphene StacksLuca M. Nashabeh, Héctor OchoaarXiv·2026·10.1103/PhysRevB.87.245408·arXiv:2605.16218AbstractWe propose and study a model in which the moiré potential in rhombohedral graphene stacks aligned with hexagonal boron nitride is defined by lattice-relaxation-driven layer-shear strain fields. We show that these strain fields, although decreasing exponentially with layer number, significantly affect electronic structure away from the contact layer. In the absence of a displacement field, lattice relaxation amplifies the electronic differences between the two stacking configurations with hBN and, with long-range Coulomb interactions, plays a crucial role in flattening and isolating a valley-polarized Hartree-Fock Chern band with |C| = 1. The work combines continuum lattice-relaxation modeling with self-consistent Hartree-Fock electronic calculations.Read more
Pentalayer rhombohedral graphene on hBN in the η = +1 stacking configuration.4 propertiesSimulatedCStudied MaterialBNSubstrate / DielectricExpand
Pentalayer rhombohedral graphene on hBN in the η = -1 stacking configuration.4 propertiesSimulatedCStudied MaterialBNSubstrate / DielectricExpand
Research paperTheoreticalComputational MultiscaleLattice Relaxation Flattens Chern Bands in Rhombohedral Graphene StacksLuca M. Nashabeh, Héctor OchoaarXiv·2026·10.1103/PhysRevB.87.245408·arXiv:2605.16218AbstractWe propose and study a model in which the moiré potential in rhombohedral graphene stacks aligned with hexagonal boron nitride is defined by lattice-relaxation-driven layer-shear strain fields. We show that these strain fields, although decreasing exponentially with layer number, significantly affect electronic structure away from the contact layer. In the absence of a displacement field, lattice relaxation amplifies the electronic differences between the two stacking configurations with hBN and, with long-range Coulomb interactions, plays a crucial role in flattening and isolating a valley-polarized Hartree-Fock Chern band with |C| = 1. The work combines continuum lattice-relaxation modeling with self-consistent Hartree-Fock electronic calculations.Read more
Pentalayer rhombohedral graphene on hBN in the η = +1 stacking configuration.4 propertiesSimulatedCStudied MaterialBNSubstrate / DielectricExpand
Pentalayer rhombohedral graphene on hBN in the η = -1 stacking configuration.4 propertiesSimulatedCStudied MaterialBNSubstrate / DielectricExpand
Research paperTheoreticalComputational MultiscaleLattice Relaxation Flattens Chern Bands in Rhombohedral Graphene StacksLuca M. Nashabeh, Héctor OchoaarXiv·2026·10.1103/PhysRevB.87.245408·arXiv:2605.16218AbstractWe propose and study a model in which the moiré potential in rhombohedral graphene stacks aligned with hexagonal boron nitride is defined by lattice-relaxation-driven layer-shear strain fields. We show that these strain fields, although decreasing exponentially with layer number, significantly affect electronic structure away from the contact layer. In the absence of a displacement field, lattice relaxation amplifies the electronic differences between the two stacking configurations with hBN and, with long-range Coulomb interactions, plays a crucial role in flattening and isolating a valley-polarized Hartree-Fock Chern band with |C| = 1. The work combines continuum lattice-relaxation modeling with self-consistent Hartree-Fock electronic calculations.Read more
Pentalayer rhombohedral graphene on hBN in the η = +1 stacking configuration.4 propertiesSimulatedCStudied MaterialBNSubstrate / DielectricExpand
Pentalayer rhombohedral graphene on hBN in the η = -1 stacking configuration.4 propertiesSimulatedCStudied MaterialBNSubstrate / DielectricExpand
Research paperTheoreticalComputational MultiscaleLattice Relaxation Flattens Chern Bands in Rhombohedral Graphene StacksLuca M. Nashabeh, Héctor OchoaarXiv·2026·10.1103/PhysRevB.87.245408·arXiv:2605.16218AbstractWe propose and study a model in which the moiré potential in rhombohedral graphene stacks aligned with hexagonal boron nitride is defined by lattice-relaxation-driven layer-shear strain fields. We show that these strain fields, although decreasing exponentially with layer number, significantly affect electronic structure away from the contact layer. In the absence of a displacement field, lattice relaxation amplifies the electronic differences between the two stacking configurations with hBN and, with long-range Coulomb interactions, plays a crucial role in flattening and isolating a valley-polarized Hartree-Fock Chern band with |C| = 1. The work combines continuum lattice-relaxation modeling with self-consistent Hartree-Fock electronic calculations.Read more
Pentalayer rhombohedral graphene on hBN in the η = +1 stacking configuration.4 propertiesSimulatedCStudied MaterialBNSubstrate / DielectricExpand
Pentalayer rhombohedral graphene on hBN in the η = -1 stacking configuration.4 propertiesSimulatedCStudied MaterialBNSubstrate / DielectricExpand
