Phonon promoted charge density wave in topological kagome metal ScV6Sn6

Abstract

Abstract Charge density wave (CDW) orders in vanadium-based kagome metals have recently received tremendous attention, yet their origin remains a topic of debate. The discovery of ScV 6 Sn 6 , a bilayer kagome metal featuring an intriguing $$\sqrt{3}\times\sqrt{3}\times3$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:msqrt> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>3</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:msqrt> <mml:mo>×</mml:mo> <mml:msqrt> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>3</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:msqrt> <mml:mo>×</mml:mo> <mml:mn>3</mml:mn> </mml:math> CDW order, offers a novel platform to explore the underlying mechanism behind the unconventional CDW. Here, we combine high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, Raman scattering and density functional theory to investigate the electronic structure and phonon modes of ScV 6 Sn 6 . We identify topologically nontrivial surface states and multiple van Hove singularities (VHSs) in the vicinity of the Fermi level, with one VHS aligning with the in-plane component of the CDW vector near the $$\bar{K}$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mover> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>K</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:mo>¯</mml:mo> </mml:mover> </mml:math> point. Additionally, Raman measurements indicate a strong electron-phonon coupling, as evidenced by a two-phonon mode and new emergent modes. Our findings highlight the fundamental role of lattice degrees of freedom in promoting the CDW in ScV 6 Sn 6 .