Sliding-and-gate tunable Chern number in twisted multilayer MoTe₂

We investigate the band topology of twisted tetralayer MoTe₂ using large-scale density functional theory calculations in combination with machine learning force fields. In contrast to twisted bilayer MoTe₂, both interlayer sliding and external electric fields serve as powerful control parameters that substantially influence the moiré band topology. Our calculations reveal that sliding can drive topological transitions characterized by changes in the Chern number from +1 to 0 and −1. Continuum model analyses further show that sliding significantly modifies the real-space moiré potential landscape across the layers, leading to shifts of moiré orbitals within the moiré unit cell. Moreover, an applied electric field can also induce interesting topological phase transitions. These findings identify twisted tetralayer MoTe₂ as a promising platform for exploring moiré band engineering and electrically tunable topological phenomena.