📝 SummarXiv

Abstract

The spectral functions of twisted bilayer graphene (TBG) in the absence of strain have recently been investigated in both the symmetric and symmetry-broken phases using dynamical mean-field theory (DMFT). The theoretically predicted Mott-Hubbard bands and gapless semimetallic state at half-filling have since been confirmed experimentally. Here, we develop several second-order perturbation theory approaches to the topological heavy-fermion (THF) model of TBG and twisted symmetric trilayer graphene (TSTG). In the symmetric phase, we adapt, implement, and benchmark an iterative perturbation theory (IPT) impurity solver within DMFT, enabling computationally efficient yet accurate spectral function calculations. We present momentum- and energy-resolved spectra over a broad range of temperatures and fillings for both symmetric and symmetry-broken states. In addition, we derive analytic expressions for the spectral function within the ``Hubbard-I'' approximation of the THF model and, as expected, find that while it provides a tractable description of Mott physics, it does not capture the low-energy Kondo peak or the finite lifetime broadening of the bands. Our methodology can be extended to include strain, lattice relaxation, and parameter variations, thereby allowing systematic predictions of TBG and TSTG spectral properties across a wide range of physical regimes. Because our perturbative approaches are far less computationally intensive than DMFT with numerically exact impurity solvers, they can be used to efficiently benchmark and scan extensive phase diagrams of the THF parameters, paving the way for full DMFT analyses of the TBG spectral function in the presence of strain and relaxation.