Real-space hole-doping titration and manipulation of correlated charge density wave state in 1T-TaS2

The complex correlated charge density wave (CDW) phases of 1T-TaS2 have attracted great attention due to their emergent quantum states, such as intricate CDW phase, Mott-Hubbard state, superconductivity and quantum spin liquid. The delicate interplay among the complex intra-/inter-layer electron-electron and electron-lattice interactions is the fundamental prerequisite of these exotic quantum states. Here, we report a real-space titration-like investigation of correlated CDW state in 1T-TaS2 upon hole-doping via low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (LT-STM). The gradual increased hole-doping results in the sequential emergence of electron voids, phase domains, stacking disordering and mixed phase/chiral domains attributed to the reduced electron correlations. The achiral intermediate ring-like clusters and nematic CDW states emerge at the intralayer chiral domain wall and interlayer heterochiral stacking regions via the chiral-overlapping configurations. The local reversible CDW manipulation is further realized by the non-equilibrium transient charge-injections of STM field-emission spectra. Our results provide an in-depth insight of this intricate correlated CDW state, and pave a way to realize exotic quantum states via the accurate tuning of interior interactions in correlated materials.