Orbitronics — Harnessing metal insulator phase transition in 1T-MoSe2

In this work, we reveal a remarkable orbital ordering texture associated with a Peierls distortion that leads to metal-insulator phase transition (MIT) in 1T molybdenum diselenide (MoSe₂). The metallic conductivity in this MIT is realized by an isotropically distributed Mo t_2g orbitals whereas splitting of both t_2g and e_g orbitals near the Fermi level opens a bandgap in distorted semiconducting phase. Our results also indicate that a stacking of two orbitally ordered layers allows triggering of phase transition by external perturbations such as, vertical pressure and vertical electric field.