Spontaneous Sublattice Symmetry Breaking in Moiré Kondo Lattices

Kondo physics, which arises from the interaction between itinerant and localized electrons, is a central paradigm in strongly correlated systems. Recently, moiré materials such as WS₂/bilayer WSe₂ and WSe₂/MoTe₂ have emerged as highly tunable platforms for realizing Kondo lattice behavior. By varying the gate voltage, one can explore different regimes including heavy-fermion liquids and Kondo insulators. The moiré Kondo lattice naturally incorporates a sublattice structure, where conduction electrons and localized moments may reside on different sublattices or share sublattice degrees of freedom. This structure gives rise to new possibilities for emergent phenomena associated with sublattice symmetry. In this talk, I will first review the realization of Kondo lattice physics in moiré materials. I will then discuss spontaneous symmetry breaking, such as time-reversal and inversion symmetry breaking, that originates from the sublattice degree of freedom. A Ginzburg–Landau theory and a microscopic parton theory will be presented to describe these symmetry-breaking transitions. Finally, I will highlight the resulting collective modes and topological excitations as a consequence of sublattice symmetry breaking in the moiré Kondo systems.