Ferroaxial and nematic transitions in the charge density wave phase of 1T-TiSe$_2$
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arXiv
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2026
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| _version_ | 1866910057108602880 |
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| author | Edwards, Sarah Rosenberg, Elliott Maccari, Ilaria Wen, Jiaqin Hu, Chaowei Xu, Xiaodong Kim, Jong-Woo Ryan, Philip J. Fernandes, Rafael M. de Juan, Fernando Gastiasoro, Maria N. Chu, Jiun-Haw |
| author_facet | Edwards, Sarah Rosenberg, Elliott Maccari, Ilaria Wen, Jiaqin Hu, Chaowei Xu, Xiaodong Kim, Jong-Woo Ryan, Philip J. Fernandes, Rafael M. de Juan, Fernando Gastiasoro, Maria N. Chu, Jiun-Haw |
| contents | Charge density waves (CDWs) with multi-component order parameters can break unexpected symmetries through the interplay of nearly degenerate instabilities. In the widely investigated material 1T-TiSe$_2$, a central question is whether the observed CDW has a chiral character, which would manifest as the spontaneous breaking of mirror and inversion symmetries. Previous experiments have reported conflicting results about the broken symmetries in the CDW phase of 1T-TiSe$_2$. Here, we resolve this controversy by identifying the bulk broken symmetry as ferroaxial, corresponding to the breaking of vertical mirrors while preserving inversion symmetry. Using symmetry-resolved elastoresistivity, we detect the spontaneous emergence of intrinsic off-diagonal elastoresistivity coefficients that satisfy an antisymmetric relation ($m_{xx-yy,xy} \approx -m_{xy,xx-yy}$), providing an unambiguous bulk transport signature of a macroscopic electric toroidal moment. Simultaneous elastocaloric measurements reveal that the onset of ferroaxial order occurs just below the CDW transition. As the temperature is lowered further, a diverging nematic susceptibility signals a distinct rotational symmetry-breaking instability inside the ferroaxial CDW state. Our findings demonstrate that the proposed ``chiral'' CDW in 1T-TiSe$_2$ is actually a centrosymmetric ferroaxial state, reconciling previous surface-sensitive observations with bulk symmetry constraints. |
| format | Preprint |
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arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_14614 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Ferroaxial and nematic transitions in the charge density wave phase of 1T-TiSe$_2$ Edwards, Sarah Rosenberg, Elliott Maccari, Ilaria Wen, Jiaqin Hu, Chaowei Xu, Xiaodong Kim, Jong-Woo Ryan, Philip J. Fernandes, Rafael M. de Juan, Fernando Gastiasoro, Maria N. Chu, Jiun-Haw Strongly Correlated Electrons Superconductivity Charge density waves (CDWs) with multi-component order parameters can break unexpected symmetries through the interplay of nearly degenerate instabilities. In the widely investigated material 1T-TiSe$_2$, a central question is whether the observed CDW has a chiral character, which would manifest as the spontaneous breaking of mirror and inversion symmetries. Previous experiments have reported conflicting results about the broken symmetries in the CDW phase of 1T-TiSe$_2$. Here, we resolve this controversy by identifying the bulk broken symmetry as ferroaxial, corresponding to the breaking of vertical mirrors while preserving inversion symmetry. Using symmetry-resolved elastoresistivity, we detect the spontaneous emergence of intrinsic off-diagonal elastoresistivity coefficients that satisfy an antisymmetric relation ($m_{xx-yy,xy} \approx -m_{xy,xx-yy}$), providing an unambiguous bulk transport signature of a macroscopic electric toroidal moment. Simultaneous elastocaloric measurements reveal that the onset of ferroaxial order occurs just below the CDW transition. As the temperature is lowered further, a diverging nematic susceptibility signals a distinct rotational symmetry-breaking instability inside the ferroaxial CDW state. Our findings demonstrate that the proposed ``chiral'' CDW in 1T-TiSe$_2$ is actually a centrosymmetric ferroaxial state, reconciling previous surface-sensitive observations with bulk symmetry constraints. |
| title | Ferroaxial and nematic transitions in the charge density wave phase of 1T-TiSe$_2$ |
| topic | Strongly Correlated Electrons Superconductivity |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.14614 |