The charge density wave (CDW) state of 2H-NbSe2 features commensurate domains separated by domain boundaries accompanied by phase slips known as discommensurations. We have unambiguously visualized the structure of CDW domains using a displacement-field measurement algorithm on a scanning tunneling microscopy image. Each CDW domain is delimited by three vertices and three edges of discommensurations and is designated by a triplet of integers whose sum identifies the types of commensurate structure. The observed structure is consistent with the alternating triangular tiling pattern predicted by a phenomenological Landau theory. The domain shape is affected by crystal defects and also by topological defects in the CDW phase factor. Our results provide a foundation for a complete understanding of the CDW state and its relation to the superconducting state.
@article{arxiv.2304.00846,
title = {Visualization of alternating triangular domains of charge density waves in 2H-NbSe$_2$ by scanning tunneling microscopy},
author = {Shunsuke Yoshizawa and Keisuke Sagisaka and Hideaki Sakata},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2304.00846},
year = {2024}
}
Comments
main text (6 pages, 4 figures) + supplemental material (8 pages, 11 figures)