Visualization of alternating triangular domains of charge density waves in 2H-NbSe${}_2$ by scanning tunneling microscopy

Abstract

The charge density wave (CDW) state of 2H-NbSe${}_2$ 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.

main text (6 pages, 4 figures) + supplemental material (8 pages, 11 figures)

References in corpus (7)

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Cited by in corpus (7)

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• Pressure-Induced Enhancement of Superfluid Density in Transition Metal Dichalcogenides with and without Charge Density Wave
• Influence of surface relaxations on scanning probe microscopy images of the charge density wave material 2H-NbSe${}_2$
• Superconducting gap and its Little-Parks like oscillations with high-order harmonics in lithium intercalated 1T-TiSe${}_2$
• RKKY interaction in the presence of a charge-density-wave order
• Spatial correlations of charge density wave order across the transition in 2H-NbSe2
• Modulation of superconducting properties by the charge density wave at the surface of 2H-NbSe2