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Evidence for an odd-parity nematic phase above the charge-density-wave transition in a kagome metal

Nature Physics volume 20, pages 40–46 (2024)Cite this article

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Abstract

The search for quantum states arising from the interplay between correlation, frustration and topology is a central topic for condensed-matter physics. Recently discovered non-magnetic kagome metals AV3Sb5 (A = K, Cs or Rb) with charge-density-wave and superconducting instabilities may host such exotic states. Here we report evidence that an odd-parity electronic nematic state emerges at a higher temperature than the charge density wave in CsV3Sb5. Our torque measurements reveal a two-fold in-plane magnetic anisotropy that breaks the crystal rotational symmetry. Moreover, in the temperature range between the formation of the charge density wave and a nematic state, rotating an external magnetic field in a conical fashion yields a distinct first-order phase transition, indicating time-reversal symmetry breaking. These results provide thermodynamic evidence for the emergence of an odd-parity nematic order. In addition, elastoresistance shows no discernible anomalies near the onset of nematicity, consistent with the odd-parity order. These findings suggest that an exotic loop current state precedes the charge-density-wave transition in CsV3Sb5.

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Fig. 1: Crystal structure, experimental setup and magnetic anisotropy.
Fig. 2: In-plane variation in magnetic torque.
Fig. 3: Elastoresistance and nematic susceptibility.
Fig. 4: Broken time-reversal symmetry and loop current orders.

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available via Figshare at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.23557737. Source data are provided with this paper.

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Acknowledgements

A part of this work was supported by CREST (no. JPMJCR19T5; to Y.M. and T.S.) from the Japan Science and Technology (JST), Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI) (nos. 18H05227, 18H03680, 18H01180, 21K13881) and Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on innovative areas ‘Quantum Liquid Crystals’ (no. JP19H05824) from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) (to T.S.). S.D.W. gratefully acknowledges support from the UC Santa Barbara NSF Quantum Foundry funded via the Q-AMASE-i program under award DMR-1906325. Work by B.R.O. was supported by the US Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences (BES), Materials Sciences and Engineering Division.

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Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: T. Asaba, A. Onishi, Y. Kageyama.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan

    T. Asaba, T. Kiyosue, K. Ohtsuka, S. Suetsugu, Y. Kohsaka, T. Gaggl, Y. Kasahara, H. Murayama & Y. Matsuda

  2. Department of Advanced Materials Science, University of Tokyo, Chiba, Japan

    A. Onishi, Y. Kageyama, K. Hashimoto & T. Shibauchi

  3. RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science, Wako, Japan

    H. Murayama

  4. Department of Physics, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Japan

    R. Tazai & H. Kontani

  5. Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan

    R. Tazai

  6. Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA

    B. R. Ortiz

  7. Materials Department, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA

    S. D. Wilson

  8. National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures and Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China

    Q. Li & H. -H. Wen

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Contributions

T.A., T.S. and Y.M. conceived and supervised the study. T.A., T.K., K.O., S.S. and T.G. performed the torque measurements. A.O., Y. Kageyama and K.H. performed the elastoresistivity measurements. B.R.O., S.D.W., Q.L. and H.-H.W. synthesized the single crystals. T.A., A.O., Y. Kageyama, T.K., K.O. and K.H. analysed the data with inputs from S.S., Y. Kohsaka, Y. Kasahara and H.M. The theoretical models were provided by R.T. and H.K. All authors discussed the results and contributed to writing the manuscript.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to T. Shibauchi or Y. Matsuda.

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Nature Physics thanks Domenico Di Sante and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

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Supplementary information

Supplementary Information

Supplementary Figs. 1–4 and Sections I–III.

Source data

Source Data Fig. 1

Out-of-plane magnetic susceptibility data.

Source Data Fig. 2

In-plane magnetic torque data.

Source Data Fig. 3

Elastoresistance data.

Source Data Fig. 4

Magnetic torque data with conically rotated fields.

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Asaba, T., Onishi, A., Kageyama, Y. et al. Evidence for an odd-parity nematic phase above the charge-density-wave transition in a kagome metal. Nat. Phys. 20, 40–46 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-023-02272-4

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