Visualization of the effect of structural supermodulation on electronic structure in IrTe${}_2$ by scanning tunneling spectroscopy

Abstract

We report on the scanning tunneling spectroscopy experiments on single crystals of IrTe${}_2$. A structural supermodulation and a local density-of-states (LDOS) modulation with a wave vector of $q$ = 1/5$\times$$2\pi /a_0$ ($a_0$ is the lattice constant in the $ab$-plane) have been observed at 4.2K where the sample is in the monoclinic phase. %We cannot find an energy gap emerging reproducibly.% on the region where the supermodulation resides. As synchronized with the supermodulation, the LDOS spatially modulates within two energy ranges (below -200 meV and around -100 meV). We further investigated the effect of the local perturbations including the antiphase boundaries and the twin boundaries on the LDOS. These perturbations also modify the LDOS below -200 meV and around -100 meV, even though the lattice distortions induced by these perturbations appear to be different from those by the supermodulation. Our results indicating several microscopic structural effects on the LDOS seem to offer crucial keys for the establishment of the microscopic model describing the parent state.

5 pages, 4 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev. B

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• A quantum phase transition from triangular to stripe charge order in NbSe${}_2$
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• Anionic depolymerization transition in IrTe2
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• Charge density wave modulation and gap measurements in CeTe${}_3$
• Charge-Stripe Order and Superconductivity in $\mathrm{I}{\mathrm{r}}_{1-\mathrm{x}}\mathrm{P}{\mathrm{t}}_{\mathrm{x}}\mathrm{T}{\mathrm{e}}_2$
• Structural phase transition and electronic structure evolution in Ir1-xPtxTe2 studied by scanning tunneling microscopy
• Structural versus electronic distortions of symmetry-broken IrTe${}_2$
• Visualizing the Pt doping effect on surface and electronic structure in Ir_{1-x}Pt_{x}Te_{2} by scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy
• Dimensional crossover of charge order in IrTe${}_2$ with strong interlayer coupling
• Insensitivity of the striped charge-orders in IrTe${}_2$ to alkali surface doping implies their structural origin