No Arabic abstract
Recently, intensive studies have revealed fascinating physics, such as charge density wave and superconducting states, in the newly synthesized kagome-lattice materials $A$V$_3$Sb$_5$ ($A$=K, Rb, Cs). Despite the rapid progress, fundamental aspects like the magnetic properties and electronic correlations in these materials have not been clearly understood yet. Here, based on the density functional theory plus the single-site dynamical mean-field theory calculations, we investigate the correlated electronic structure and the magnetic properties of the KV$_3$Sb$_5$ family materials in the normal state. We show that these materials are good metals with weak local correlations. The obtained Pauli-like paramagnetism and the absence of local moments are consistent with recent experiment. We reveal that the band crossings around the Fermi level form three groups of nodal lines protected by the spacetime inversion symmetry, each carrying a quantized $pi$ Berry phase. Our result suggests that the local correlation strength in these materials appears to be too weak to generate unconventional superconductivity, and non-local electronic correlation might be crucial in this kagome system.
Understanding the link between a charge density wave (CDW) instability and superconductivity is a central theme of the 2D metallic kagome compounds $A$V$_3$Sb$_5$ ($A$=K, Rb, and Cs). Using polarization-resolved electronic Raman spectroscopy, we shed light on Fermi surface fluctuations and electronic instabilities. We observe a quasielastic peak (QEP) whose spectral weight is progressively enhanced towards the superconducting transition. The QEP temperature-dependence reveals a steep increase in coherent in-plane charge correlations within the charge-density phase. In contrast, out-of-plane charge fluctuations remain strongly incoherent across the investigated temperature range. In-plane phonon anomalies appear at $T^*sim 50$~K in addition to right below $T_{mathrm{CDW}}sim 95$~K, while showing no apparent evidence of reduced symmetry at low temperatures. In conjunction with the consecutive phonon anomalies within the CDW state, our electronic Raman data unveil additional electronic instabilities that persist down to the superconducting phase, thereby offering a superconducting mechanism.
The Kagome superconductors AV$_3$Sb$_5$ (A=K, Rb, Cs) have received enormous attention due to their nontrivial topological electronic structure, anomalous physical properties and superconductivity. Unconventional charge density wave (CDW) has been detected in AV$_3$Sb$_5$ that is found to be intimately intertwined with the anomalous Hall effect and superconductivity. High-precision electronic structure determination is essential to understand the origin of the CDW transition and its interplay with electron correlation, topology and superconductivity, yet, little evidence has been found about the impact of the CDW state on the electronic structure in AV$_3$Sb$_5$. Here we unveil electronic nature of the CDW phase in our high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission (ARPES) measurements on KV$_3$Sb$_5$. We have observed CDW-induced Fermi surface reconstruction and the associated band structure folding. The CDW-induced band splitting and the associated gap opening have been revealed at the boundary of the pristine and reconstructed Brillouin zone. The Fermi surface- and momentum-dependent CDW gap is measured for the first time and the strongly anisotropic CDW gap is observed for all the V-derived Fermi surface sheets. In particular, we have observed signatures of the electron-phonon coupling for all the V-derived bands. These results provide key insights in understanding the nature of the CDW state and its interplay with superconductivity in AV$_3$Sb$_5$ superconductors.
The new two-dimensional (2D) kagome superconductor CsV$_3$Sb$_5$ has attracted much recent attention due to the coexistence of superconductivity, charge order, topology and kagome physics. A key issue in this field is to unveil the unique reconstructed electronic structure, which successfully accommodates different orders and interactions to form a fertile ground for emergent phenomena. Here, we report angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) evidence for two distinct band reconstructions in CsV$_3$Sb$_5$. The first one is characterized by the appearance of new electron energy band at low temperature. The new band is theoretically reproduced when the three dimensionality of the charge order is considered for a band-folding along the out-of-plane direction. The second reconstruction is identified as a surface induced orbital-selective shift of the electron energy band. Our results provide the first evidence for the three dimensionality of the charge order in single-particle spectral function, highlighting the importance of long-range out-of-plane electronic correlations in this layered kagome superconductor. They also point to the feasibility of orbital-selective control of the band structure via surface modification, which would open a new avenue for manipulating exotic phenomena in this system, including superconductivity.
Optical spectroscopy and density-functional calculations reveal electronic properties of the nonmagnetickagome metal KV$_3$Sb$_5$. Temperature and frequency-dependent optical measurements down to 10K and up to 2 eV energy range confirm bulk nature of the charge-density-wave (CDW) state below 78 K and gauge the charge gap of $Delta_{CDW} approx$ 60 meV at 10 K. We further detect strong phonon anomalies and the prominent low-energy localization peak indicative of the unconventional charge transport caused by electron-phonon or electron-electron interactions. Possible CDW structures of KV$_3$Sb$_5$, the star and hexagon (inverse star), 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 may have intriguing and far-reaching implications for the physics of KV$_3$Sb$_5$ and related materials.
I search for the ground state structures of the kagome metals KV$_3$Sb$_5$, RbV$_3$Sb$_5$, and CsV$_3$Sb$_5$ using first principles calculations. Group-theoretical analysis shows that there are seventeen different distortions that are possible due to the phonon instabilities at the $M$ $(frac{1}{2},0,0)$ and $L$ $(frac{1}{2},0,frac{1}{2})$ points in the Brilouin zone of the parent $P6/mmm$ phase of these materials. I generated these structures for the three compounds and performed full structural relaxations that minimize the atomic forces and lattice stresses. I find that the $Fmmm$ phase with the order parameter $M_1^+$ $(a,0,0)$ $+$ $L_2^-$ $(0,b,b)$ has the lowest energy among these possibilities in all three compounds. However, the $Fmmm$ exhibits a dynamical instability at its $Z$ $(0,0,1)$ point, which corresponds to the $A$ $(0,0,frac{1}{2})$ point in the parent $P6/mmm$ phase. Condensation of this instability leads to a base-centered orthorhombic structure with the space group $Cmcm$ and $4Q$ order parameter $M_1^+$ $(a,0,0)$ $+$ $L_2^-$ $(0,b,b)$ $+$ $A_6^+$ $(frac{1}{2}c,frac{-sqrt{3}}{2}c)$.