Van Hove annihilation and nematic instability on a kagome lattice
Source abstract
Abstract
A nematic phase breaks the point-group symmetry of the crystal lattice and is known to emerge in correlated materials. Here we report the observation of an intra-unit-cell nematic order and associated Fermi surface deformation in the kagome metal ScV6Sn6. Using scanning tunnelling microscopy and scanning tunnelling spectroscopy, we reveal a stripe-like nematic order breaking the crystal rotational symmetry within the kagome lattice itself. Moreover, we identify a set of Van Hove singularities adhering to the kagome-layer electrons, which appear along one direction of the Brillouin zone and are annihilated along other high-symmetry directions, revealing rotational symmetry breaking. Via detailed spectroscopic maps, we further observe an elliptical deformation of the Fermi surface, which provides direct evidence for an electronically mediated nematic order. Our work not only bridges the gap between electronic nematicity and kagome physics but also sheds light on the potential mechanism for realizing symmetry-broken phases in correlated electron systems.
Source: europepmc · Quality: candidate unverified · Source record ↗
Research context
OpenAlex topics: Advanced Condensed Matter Physics · Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates · Topological Materials and Phenomena
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
References (53)
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