Lattice-decoupled rotatable stripe-like charge order within the strange metal phase of 2M-WS <sub>2</sub>
Abstract
In quantum materials, charge orders typically stabilize in specific crystallographic orientations, though their formation mechanisms may vary. Here, using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy, we find a lattice-decoupled rotatable stripe-like charge order coexisting with superconductivity in 2M-WS 2 . The charge order manifests five distinct orientations across different sample regions, yet maintains an identical wavelength. This directional decoupling from host lattice challenges existing paradigms. First-principles calculations of phonon spectra and nesting function fail to explain the ordering mechanism. Intriguingly, the transition temperature of the charge orders exhibits spatial variations (21 to 46 K), coinciding with the temperature range of the recently reported strange metal phase in this material. This correlation suggests that the interplay between strong electronic correlations and electron–phonon coupling must be critically evaluated to elucidate the emergence of this unconventional charge order.
Article Details
Journal Info
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Sciences
Authors (14)
Kebin Xiao
State Key Laboratory of Low-Dimensional Quantum Physics, Department of Physics, Tsinghua University
Yunkai Guo
State Key Laboratory of Low-Dimensional Quantum Physics, Department of Physics, Tsinghua University
Daran Fu
State Key Laboratory of Low-Dimensional Quantum Physics, Department of Physics, Tsinghua University
Yuqiang Fang
Key Laboratory of Intelligent Creation for Extreme Energy Materials (MOE), School of Materials Science and Engineering
Yating Hu
Jingming Yan
State Key Laboratory of Low-Dimensional Quantum Physics, Department of Physics, Tsinghua University
Yucong Peng
State Key Laboratory of Low-Dimensional Quantum Physics, Department of Physics, Tsinghua University
Yuyang Wang
State Key Laboratory of Low-Dimensional Quantum Physics, Department of Physics, Tsinghua University
Yongkang Ju
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beihang University
Peizhe Tang
Xiangang Wan
National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures and School of Physics, Nanjing University
Fuqiang Huang
Key Laboratory of Intelligent Creation for Extreme Energy Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering and Zhang Jiang Institute for Advanced Study
Qi-Kun Xue
Wei Li