Umklapp-driven first-order transition into a charge-density wave phase

2024/09/03 by Rozhkov, A. V.
#FOS: Physical sciences #Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall)

paper · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2409.02236

Abstract

Using phenomenological Landau free energy, we systematically analyze influence of so-called umklapp contributions on the phase diagram of a solid hosting a commensurate charge-density wave phase. The umklapp terms may change the transition into the ordered state from continuous (second-order) to discontinuous (first-order). Additional elements, such as critical and tricritical points, emerge on the phase diagram under suitable conditions. The proposed mechanism is generalized for the case of nearly-commensurate charge-density wave, as well as spin-density wave orders. Several charge-density-wave-hosting alloys are used as experimentally available examples illustrating the formalism.

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