Charge and spin density waves, periodic modulations of the electron and magnetization densities, respectively, are among the most abundant and non-trivial low-temperature ordered phases in condensed matter. The ordering direction is widely believed t
o result from the Fermi surface topology. However, several recent studies indicate that this common view needs to be supplemented. Here, we show how an enhanced electron-lattice interaction can contribute to or even determine the selection of the ordering vector in the model charge density wave system ErTe3. Our joint experimental and theoretical study allows us to establish a relation between the selection rules of the electronic light scattering spectra and the enhanced electron-phonon coupling in the vicinity of band degeneracy points. This alternative proposal for charge density wave formation may be of general relevance for driving phase transitions into other broken-symmetry ground states, particularly in multiband systems such as the iron based superconductors.
We present details of carrier properties in high quality ${rm Ba(Fe_{1-x}Co_{x})_2As_2}$ single crystals obtained from electronic Raman scattering. The experiments indicate a strong band and momentum anisotropy of the electron dynamics above and belo
w the superconducting transition highlighting the importance of complex band-dependent interactions. The presence of low energy spectral weight deep in the superconducting state suggests a gap with accidental nodes which may be lifted by doping and/or impurity scattering. When combined with other measurements, our observation of band and momentum dependent carrier dynamics indicate that the iron arsenides may have several competing superconducting ground states.
