Microscopic signatures of topology in twisted MoTe2

In moiré materials with flat electronic bands and suitable quantum geometry, strong correlations can give rise to various topological states of matter. The non-trivial band topology of twisted MoTe₂, which is responsible for its fractional quantum anomalous Hall states, is predicted to arise from a skyrmion lattice texture in the layer pseudospin of the electronic wavefunctions. Tracing the layer polarization of wavefunctions within the moiré unit cell can, thus, offer insights into the band topology. Here we measure the out-of-plane component of the layer-pseudospin skyrmion textures of twisted MoTe₂ using scanning tunnelling microscopy and spectroscopy. We do this by simultaneously visualizing the moiré lattice structure and the spatial localization of its electronic states. We find that the wavefunctions associated with the topological flat bands exhibit a spatially dependent layer polarization within the moiré unit cell, in agreement with our theoretical modelling. Our work enables future local probe studies of the intertwined correlated and topological states arising in gate-tunable devices.