Work

Pervasive electronic nematicity across the doping-tuned phase diagram of Kagome superconductors

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Kagome superconductors A V 3 Sb 5 ( A = Cs, K, Rb) host intertwined orders arising from electronic correlations and lattice geometry, but the nature of the high-temperature electronic state from which these phases emerge remains poorly understood. Although numerous experiments have reported rotational symmetry breaking, it is still intensely debated whether this may be a simple consequence of the symmetry of the underlying 2 × 2 charge density wave (CDW) or an entirely different mechanism. Here we use spectroscopic imaging scanning tunneling microscopy to track the evolution of electronic structure in CsV 3 Sb 5 as the CDW is intentionally suppressed through two distinct chemical substitution routes—Sn on the Sb site and Ti on the V site. Across a wide doping range, we uncover persistent electronic rotational-symmetry breaking—referred to here as electronic nematicity—forming nanoscale domains with orientations along three crystalline directions. These results demonstrate that electronic nematicity is a persistent feature of the Kagome phase diagram, distinct from the 2 × 2 CDW.

Source: Communications Physics

DOI: 10.1038/s42005-026-02900-4