Cluster-Decorated Lieb Lattice: A Convenient and Reliable Platform for Tuning Flat-Band Energy  Recently, a research team led by Professor Haifeng Ding from the School of Physics at Nanjing University has made new progress in the study of flat-band physics in two-dimensional artificial lattices. By replacing the edge sites of a Lieb lattice with size-tunable rhombus-shaped four-atom clusters, the team established a one-to-one correspondence between flat-band energies and cluster eigenenergies, enabling quasi-continuous and predictable tuning of flat-band energy. Using atom manipulation and scanning tunneling spectroscopy, the researchers constructed cluster-decorated Lieb lattices with 57 Fe atoms on an Ag(111) surface, experimentally verified this mechanism, and precisely aligned a flat band with the Fermi level. This strategy can be extended to other cluster geometries and mother lattices, providing a convenient and reliable platform for exploring flat-band physics. This work was published in Physical Review Letters, entitled “Cluster-Decorated Lieb Lattice: A Convenient and Reliable Platform for Tuning Flat-Band Energy” [Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 176401 (2026)]. The paper was selected as an Editors’ Suggestion and featured on the cover of the issue. It was also highlighted in Physics Magazine in a synopsis entitled “Tuning Flat Bands.” 

Publication link: https://doi.org/10.1103/rm6q-k54p