Nature Communications (Mar 2024)

Three-dimensional ultrafast charge-density-wave dynamics in CuTe

  • Nguyen Nhat Quyen,
  • Wen-Yen Tzeng,
  • Chih-En Hsu,
  • I-An Lin,
  • Wan-Hsin Chen,
  • Hao-Hsiang Jia,
  • Sheng-Chiao Wang,
  • Cheng-En Liu,
  • Yu-Sheng Chen,
  • Wei-Liang Chen,
  • Ta-Lei Chou,
  • I-Ta Wang,
  • Chia-Nung Kuo,
  • Chun-Liang Lin,
  • Chien-Te Wu,
  • Ping-Hui Lin,
  • Shih-Chang Weng,
  • Cheng-Maw Cheng,
  • Chang-Yang Kuo,
  • Chien-Ming Tu,
  • Ming-Wen Chu,
  • Yu-Ming Chang,
  • Chin Shan Lue,
  • Hung-Chung Hsueh,
  • Chih-Wei Luo

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-46615-y
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 15, no. 1
pp. 1 – 9

Abstract

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Abstract Charge density waves (CDWs) involved with electronic and phononic subsystems simultaneously are a common quantum state in solid-state physics, especially in low-dimensional materials. However, CDW phase dynamics in various dimensions are yet to be studied, and their phase transition mechanism is currently moot. Here we show that using the distinct temperature evolution of orientation-dependent ultrafast electron and phonon dynamics, different dimensional CDW phases are verified in CuTe. When the temperature decreases, the shrinking of c-axis length accompanied with the appearance of interchain and interlayer interactions causes the quantum fluctuations (QF) of the CDW phase until 220 K. At T < 220 K, the CDWs on the different ab-planes are finally locked with each other in anti-phase to form a CDW phase along the c-axis. This study shows the dimension evolution of CDW phases in one CDW system and their stabilized mechanisms in different temperature regimes.