1. Observation of possible excitonic charge density waves and metal-insulator transitions in atomically thin semimetals
- Author
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Gao, Qiang, Chan, Yang-hao, Jiao, Pengfei, Chen, Haiyang, Yin, Shuaishuai, Tangprapha, Kanjanaporn, Yang, Yichen, Li, Xiaolong, Liu, Zhengtai, Shen, Dawei, Jiang, Shengwei, and Chen, Peng
- Subjects
Condensed Matter - Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics - Abstract
Charge density wave (CDW) is a collective quantum phenomenon with a charge modulation in solids1-2. Condensation of electron and hole pairs with finite momentum will lead to such an ordered state3-7. However, lattice symmetry breaking manifested as the softening of phonon modes can occur simultaneously, which makes it difficult to disentangle the origin of the transition8-14. Here, we report a condensed phase in low dimensional HfTe2, whereas angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) measurements show a metal-insulator transition by lowering the temperature in single triatomic layer (TL) HfTe2. A full gap opening, renormalization of the bands, and emergence of replica bands at the M point are observed in the low temperatures, indicating formation of a CDW in the ground state.Raman spectroscopy shows no sign of lattice distortion within the detection limit. The results are corroborated by first-principles calculations, demonstrating the electronic origin of the CDW. By adding more layers, the phase transition is suppressed and completely destroyed at 3 TL because of the increased screening around the Fermi surface. Interestingly, a small amount of electron doping in 1 TL film during the growth significantly raises the transition temperature (TC), which is attributed to a reduced screening effect and a more balanced electron and hole carrier density. Our results indicate a CDW formation mechanism consistent with the excitonic insulator phase in low dimensional HfTe2 and open up opportunity for realization of novel quantum states based on exciton condensation., Comment: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-023-02349-0 published in Nature Physics
- Published
- 2024
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