Two-Dimensional Discommensurations: An Extension to McMillan’s Ginzburg–Landau Theory

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Lotte Mertens - , Chair of Solid State Theory, University of Amsterdam, Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden (Author)
  • Jeroen van den Brink - , Chair of Solid State Theory, Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden (Author)
  • Jasper van Wezel - , University of Amsterdam (Author)

Abstract

Charge density waves (CDWs) profoundly affect the electronic properties of materials and have an intricate interplay with other collective states, like superconductivity and magnetism. The well-known macroscopic Ginzburg–Landau theory stands out as a theoretical method for describing CDW phenomenology without requiring a microscopic description. In particular, it has been instrumental in understanding the emergence of domain structures in several CDW compounds, as well as the influence of critical fluctuations and the evolution towards or across lock-in transitions. In this context, McMillan’s foundational work introduced discommensurations as the objects mediating the transition from commensurate to incommensurate CDWs, through an intermediate nearly commensurate phase characterised by an ordered array of phase slips. Here, we extended the simplified, effectively one-dimensional, setting of the original model to a fully two-dimensional analysis. We found exact and numerical solutions for several types of discommensuration patterns and provide a framework for consistently describing multi-component CDWs embedded in quasi-two-dimensional atomic lattices.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number100
JournalCondensed matter
Volume8
Issue number4
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2023
Peer-reviewedYes

Keywords

Keywords

  • charge density waves, domain formation, Ginzburg-Landau theory