Charge Density Wave Phenomena in Electronic Materials

Charge density waves (CDWs) are collective electronic states in which the conduction‐electron density and crystal lattice undergo a periodic modulation, typically driven by strong electron–phonon coupling and enhanced by Fermi surface nesting. They are most commonly observed in low‐dimensional materials such as transition‐metal dichalcogenides, rare‐earth tritellurides and blue bronzes, where anisotropic electronic dispersion and van Hove singularities amplify susceptibility to density‐wave formation. The CDW transition breaks translational symmetry, opening an energy gap at the Fermi level and giving rise to amplitude and phase modes that govern the low‐energy dynamics. Recent advances have revealed complex interplays between CDW order, superconductivity, disorder and topological features, as well as the potential to manipulate CDWs out of equilibrium with ultrafast optical pulses. These phenomena hold promise for applications in switchable electronics, quantum information processing and energy‐efficient devices that exploit transient or nonthermal ordering.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Studies of a non‐centrosymmetric telluride have uncovered a Kramers nodal line traversing the Fermi level in its bilayer‐split CDW phase, combining angle‐resolved photoemission spectroscopy with first‐principles calculations to map gapless crossings and reveal the interplay of spin–orbit coupling with CDW shadow bands. In a disordered quasi‐two‐dimensional system, high‐throughput X-ray diffraction temperature clustering has been used to demonstrate a Bragg glass phase, establishing diverging correlation lengths and charting a phase diagram that highlights the role of disorder and fluctuations in stabilising nearly perfect CDW order. Complementary time‐resolved photoemission and X-ray diffraction experiments have shown that nonthermal CDW order can persist at electronic temperatures far above the equilibrium transition point, with a time-dependent Ginzburg–Landau framework capturing the suppression of lattice fluctuations and the coherent recovery of the order parameter.

Charge Density Wave Phenomena in Electronic Materials publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in charge density wave phenomena in electronic materials across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Charge density wave (CDW): A periodic modulation of the conduction‐electron density and lattice positions that opens a gap at the Fermi surface.

Fermi surface nesting: A geometrical condition in which large, parallel segments of the Fermi surface can be connected by a single wavevector, enhancing susceptibility to density-wave formation.

Peierls transition: A symmetry‐breaking instability in one‐dimensional metallic systems in which a lattice distortion lowers the electronic energy by opening a gap at the Fermi level.

Amplitude mode: A collective oscillation of the CDW order parameter that corresponds to variations in the magnitude of the density modulation.

Bragg glass: A disordered yet elastically correlated phase in which quasi‐long-range order persists despite the presence of pinning centres or defects.

References

1. Charge density wave induced nodal lines in LaTe3. Nature Communications (2023).
2. Bragg glass signatures in PdxErTe3 with X-ray diffraction temperature clustering. Nature Physics (2024).
3. Nonequilibrium charge-density-wave order beyond the thermal limit. Nature Communications (2021).
4. Theoretical Description of Pump-Probe Experiments in Charge-Density-Wave Materials out to Long Times. Physical Review X (2024).
5. Evidence for Realignment of the Charge Density Wave State in ErTe3 and TmTe3 under Uniaxial Stress via Elastocaloric and Elastoresistivity Measurements. Physical Review X (2022).
6. Robust superconductivity intertwined with charge density wave and disorder in Pd-intercalated ErTe3. Physical Review Research (2020).