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New theoretical proposals and experimental findings on transition metal dichalcogenide 1T-TaS$_2$ have revived interests in its possible Mott insulating state. We perform a comprehensive scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy experiment on different single-step areas in pristine 1T-TaS$_2$. After accurately determining the relative displacement of Star-of-David super-lattices in two layers, we find different stacking orders can correspond to the similar large-gap spectrum on the upper terrace. When the measurement is performed away from the step edge, the large gap spectrum can always be maintained. The stacking order seems rarely disturb the large-gap spectrum in the ideal bulk material. We conclude that the large insulating gap is from the single-layer property, which is a correlation-induced Mott gap based on the single-band Hubbard model. Specific stacking orders can perturb the state and induce a small-gap or metallic spectrum for a limited area around the step edge, which we attribute to a surface and edge phenomenon. Our work provides more evidence about the surface electronic state and deepens our understanding of the Mott insulating state in 1T-TaS$_2$., 9 pages, 8 figures

Coexistence of topological bands and charge density wave (CDW) in topological materials has attracted immense attentions because of their fantastic properties, such as axionic-CDW, three-dimensional quantum Hall effect, etc. In this work, a nodal-line semimetal InxTaS2 characterized by CDW and superconductivity is successfully synthesized, whose structure and topological bands (two separated Wely rings) are similar to In0.58TaSe2. A 2 x 2 commensurate CDW is observed at low temperature in InxTaS2, identified by transport properties and STM measurements. Moreover, superconductivity emerges below 0.69 K, and the anisotropy ratio of upper critical field [Gamma = H||ab c2(0)=H||c c2(0)] is significantly enhanced compared to 2H-TaS2, which shares the same essential layer unit. According to the Lawrence-Doniach model, the enhanced Gamma may be explained by the reduced effective mass in kx-ky plane, where Weyl rings locate. Therefore, this type of layered topological systems may offer a platform to investigate highly anisotropic superconductivity and to understand the extremely large upper critical field in the bulk or in the two-dimensional limit., Comment: Accepted for publication in PRB

Tuning the electronic properties of a matter is of fundamental interest in scientific research as well as in applications. Recently, the Mott insulator-metal transition has been reported in a pristine layered transition metal dichalcogenides 1T-TaS$_2$, with the transition triggered by an optical excitation, a gate controlled intercalation, or a voltage pulse. However, the sudden insulator-metal transition hinders an exploration of how the transition evolves. Here, we report the strain as a possible new tuning parameter to induce Mott gap collapse in 1T-TaS$_2$. In a strain-rich area, we find a mosaic state with distinct electronic density of states within different domains. In a corrugated surface, we further observe and analyze a smooth evolution from a Mott gap state to a metallic state. Our results shed new lights on the understanding of the insulator-metal transition and promote a controllable strain engineering on the design of switching devices in the future., Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures

We apply high resolution scanning tunneling microscopy to study intrinsic defect states of bulk FeSe. Four types of intrinsic defects including the type I dumbbell, type II dumbbell, top-layer Se vacancy and inner-layer Se-site defect are extensively analyzed by scanning tunneling spectroscopy. From characterized depression and enhancement of density of states measured in a large energy range, the type I dumbbell and type II dumbbell are determined to be the Fe vacancy and Se$_\mathrm{Fe}$ defect, respectively. The top-layer Se vacancy and possible inner-layer Se-site vacancy are also determined by spectroscopy analysis. The determination of defects are compared and largely confirmed in the annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy measurement of the exfoliated FeSe. The detailed mapping of defect states in our experiment lays the foundation for a comparison with complex theoretical calculations in the future., 15 pages, 4 figures

Quasiparticle interference (QPI) of the electronic states has been widely applied in scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) to analyze the electronic band structure of materials. Single-defect induced QPI reveals defect-dependent interaction between a single atomic defect and electronic states, which deserves special attention. Due to the weak signal of single-defect-induced QPI, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is relatively low in a standard two-dimensional QPI measurement. In this paper, we introduce a projective quasiparticle interference (PQPI) method, in which a one-dimensional measurement is taken along high-symmetry directions centered on a specified defect. We apply the PQPI method to a topological nodal-line semimetal ZrSiS. We focus on two special types of atomic defects that scatter the surface and bulk electronic bands. With enhanced SNR in PQPI, the energy dispersions are clearly resolved along high symmetry directions. We discuss the defect-dependent scattering of bulk bands with the non-symmorphic symmetry-enforced selection rules. Furthermore, an energy shift of the surface floating band is observed and a new branch of energy dispersion (q6) is resolved. This PQPI method can be applied to other complex materials to explore defect-dependent interactions in the future., 21 pages, 5 figures, supplementary 3 pages, 2 figures

Electronic charge order is a symmetry breaking state in high-$T_\mathrm{c}$ cuprate superconductors. In scanning tunneling microscopy, the detected charge-order-induced modulation is an electronic response of the charge order. For an overdoped (Bi,Pb)$_2$Sr$_2$CuO$_{6+x}$ sample, we apply scanning tunneling microscopy to explore local properties of the charge order. The ordering wavevector is non-dispersive with energy, which can be confirmed and determined. By extracting its order-parameter field, we identify dislocations in the stripe structure of the electronic modulation, which correspond to topological defects with an integer winding number of $\pm 1$. Through differential conductance maps over a series of reduced energies, the development of different response of the charge order is observed and a spatial evolution of topological defects is detected. The intensity of charge-order-induced modulation increases with energy and reaches its maximum when approaching the pseudogap energy. In this evolution, the topological defects decrease in density and migrate in space. Furthermore, we observe appearance and disappearance of closely spaced pairs of defects as energy changes. Our experimental results could inspire further studies of the charge order in both high-$T_\mathrm{c}$ cuprate superconductors and other charge density wave materials., 27 pages, 14 figures. Accepted by SCIENCE CHINA Physics, Mechanics & Astronomy

As emerging topological nodal-line semimetals, the family of ZrSiX (X = O, S, Se, Te) has attracted broad interests in condensed matter physics due to their future applications in spintonics. Here, we apply a scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) to study the structural symmetry and electronic topology of ZrSiSe. The glide mirror symmetry is verified by quantifying the lattice structure of the ZrSe bilayer based on bias selective topographies. The quasiparticle interference analysis is used to identify the band structure of ZrSiSe. The nodal line is experimentally determined at $\sim$ 250 meV above the Fermi level. An extra surface state Dirac point at $\sim$ 400 meV below the Fermi level is also determined. Our STM measurement provides a direct experimental evidence of the nodal-line state in the family of ZrSiX., Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures

The oxygen dopants are essential in tuning electronic properties of Bi$_2$Sr$_2$Ca$_{n-1}$Cu$_n$O$_{2n+4+\delta}$ superconductors. Here we apply the technique of scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy to study the influence of oxygen dopants in an optimally doped Bi$_2$Sr$_{2-x}$La$_x$CuO$_{6+\delta}$ and an overdoped Bi$_{2-y}$Pb$_y$Sr$_2$CuO$_{6+\delta}$. In both samples, we find that interstitial oxygen atoms on the SrO layers dominate over the other two forms of oxygen dopants, oxygen vacancies on the SrO layers and interstitial oxygen atoms on the BiO layers. The hole doping is estimated from the oxygen concentration, as compared to the result extracted from the measured Fermi surface. The precise spatial location is employed to obtain a negative correlation between the oxygen dopants and the inhomogeneous pseudogap., Comment: 15 pages, 6 figures

The pseudogap (PG) state and its related intra-unit-cell symmetry breaking remain the focus in the research of cuprate superconductors. Although the nematicity has been studied in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ, especially underdoped samples, its behavior in other cuprates and different doping regions is still unclear. Here we apply a scanning tunneling microscope to explore an overdoped (Bi, Pb)2Sr2CuO6+δ with a large Fermi surface (FS). The establishment of a nematic order and its real-space distribution is visualized as the energy scale approaches the PG.