New Article npj Quantum Materials: Optical detection of the density-wave instability in the kagome metal

January 31, 2022

Ece Uykur, Brenden R. Ortiz, Stephen D. Wilson, Martin Dressel and Alexander A. Tsirlin

New Article in npj Quantum Materials:

Uykur, B.R. Ortiz, S.D. Wilson, M. Dressel, A.A. Tsirlin
Optical detection of charge-density-wave instability in the non-magnetic kagome metal KV3Sb5
npj Quantum Materials 7, 16 (2022)

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41535-021-00420-8

Abstract:

Coexisting density-wave and superconducting states along with the large anomalous Hall effect in the absence of local magnetism remain intriguing and enigmatic features of the AV3Sb5 kagome metals (A = K, Rb, Cs). Here, we demonstrate via optical spectroscopy and density-functional calculations that low-energy dynamics of KV3Sb5 is characterized by unconventional localized carriers, which are strongly renormalized across the density-wave transition and indicative of electronic correlations. Strong phonon anomalies are prominent not only below the density-wave transition, but also at high temperatures, suggesting an intricate interplay of phonons with the underlying electronic structure. We further propose the star-of-David and tri-hexagon (inverse star-of-David) configurations for the density-wave order in KV3Sb5. These configurations are strongly reminiscent of p-wave states expected in the Hubbard model on the kagome lattice at the filling level of the van Hove singularity. The proximity to this regime should have intriguing and far-reaching implications for the physics of KV3Sb5 and related materials.

 

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