Yidi Wang, Hong Li, Siyu Cheng, He Zhao, Brenden R. Ortiz, Andrea Capa Salinas, Stephen D. Wilson, Ziqiang Wang, Ilija Zeljkovic
{"title":"Interplay of Nanoscale Strain and Smectic Susceptibility in Kagome Superconductors","authors":"Yidi Wang, Hong Li, Siyu Cheng, He Zhao, Brenden R. Ortiz, Andrea Capa Salinas, Stephen D. Wilson, Ziqiang Wang, Ilija Zeljkovic","doi":"10.1103/physrevx.15.021074","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Exotic quantum solids can host electronic states that spontaneously break rotational symmetry of the electronic structure, such as electronic nematic phases and unidirectional charge density waves (CDWs). When electrons couple to the lattice, uniaxial strain can be used to anchor and control this electronic directionality. Here, we reveal an unusual impact of strain on unidirectional “smectic” CDW orders in kagome superconductors AV</a:mi></a:mrow>3</a:mn></a:msub>Sb</a:mi></a:mrow>5</a:mn></a:msub></a:mrow></a:math> using spectroscopic-imaging scanning tunneling microscopy. We discover local decoupling between the smectic electronic director axis and the direction of anisotropic strain. While the two can generally be aligned along the same direction in regions of a small CDW gap, the tendency for alignment decreases in regions where the CDW gap is the largest. This feature, in turn, suggests nanoscale variations in smectic susceptibility, which we attribute to a combination of local strain and electron correlation strength. Overall, we observe an unusually high decoupling rate between the smectic electronic director of the three-state Potts order and anisotropic strain, revealing weak smectoelastic coupling in the CDW phase of kagome superconductors. This finding is phenomenologically different from the extensively studied nematoelastic coupling in the Ising nematic phase of Ising nematic phase of Fe-based superconductor bulk single crystals, providing a contrasting picture of how strain can control electronic unidirectionality in different families of quantum materials. <jats:supplementary-material> <jats:copyright-statement>Published by the American Physical Society</jats:copyright-statement> <jats:copyright-year>2025</jats:copyright-year> </jats:permissions> </jats:supplementary-material>","PeriodicalId":20161,"journal":{"name":"Physical Review X","volume":"238 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.7000,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Physical Review X","FirstCategoryId":"101","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevx.15.021074","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"PHYSICS, MULTIDISCIPLINARY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Exotic quantum solids can host electronic states that spontaneously break rotational symmetry of the electronic structure, such as electronic nematic phases and unidirectional charge density waves (CDWs). When electrons couple to the lattice, uniaxial strain can be used to anchor and control this electronic directionality. Here, we reveal an unusual impact of strain on unidirectional “smectic” CDW orders in kagome superconductors AV3Sb5 using spectroscopic-imaging scanning tunneling microscopy. We discover local decoupling between the smectic electronic director axis and the direction of anisotropic strain. While the two can generally be aligned along the same direction in regions of a small CDW gap, the tendency for alignment decreases in regions where the CDW gap is the largest. This feature, in turn, suggests nanoscale variations in smectic susceptibility, which we attribute to a combination of local strain and electron correlation strength. Overall, we observe an unusually high decoupling rate between the smectic electronic director of the three-state Potts order and anisotropic strain, revealing weak smectoelastic coupling in the CDW phase of kagome superconductors. This finding is phenomenologically different from the extensively studied nematoelastic coupling in the Ising nematic phase of Ising nematic phase of Fe-based superconductor bulk single crystals, providing a contrasting picture of how strain can control electronic unidirectionality in different families of quantum materials. Published by the American Physical Society2025
期刊介绍:
Physical Review X (PRX) stands as an exclusively online, fully open-access journal, emphasizing innovation, quality, and enduring impact in the scientific content it disseminates. Devoted to showcasing a curated selection of papers from pure, applied, and interdisciplinary physics, PRX aims to feature work with the potential to shape current and future research while leaving a lasting and profound impact in their respective fields. Encompassing the entire spectrum of physics subject areas, PRX places a special focus on groundbreaking interdisciplinary research with broad-reaching influence.