Competing charge-density wave instabilities in the kagome metal ScV₆Sn₆.

ABSTRACT: Owing to its unique geometry, the kagome lattice hosts various many-body quantum states including frustrated magnetism, superconductivity, and charge-density waves (CDWs). In this work, using inelastic X-ray scattering, we discover a dynamic short-range [Formula: see text] CDW that is dominant in the kagome metal ScV₆Sn₆ above T_CDW ≈ 91 K, competing with the [Formula: see text] CDW that orders below T_CDW. The competing CDW instabilities lead to an unusual CDW formation process, with the most pronounced phonon softening and the static CDW occurring at different wavevectors. First-principles calculations indicate that the [Formula: see text] CDW is energetically favored, while a wavevector-dependent electron-phonon coupling (EPC) promotes the [Form

SUBMITTER: Cao S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10667248 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature