Spin-phonon coupling driven Charge density wave in a Kagome Magnet

The intertwining between spin, charge, and lattice degrees of freedom can give rise to unusual macroscopic quantum states, including high-temperature superconductivity and quantum anomalous Hall effects. Recently, a charge density wave (CDW) is observed in the kagome antiferromagnet FeGe, indicative of possible intertwining physics. An outstanding question is that whether magnetic correlation is fundamental for the spontaneous spatial symmetry breaking orders. Here, utilizing elastic and high-resolution inelastic x-ray scattering, we discover a charge dimerization superlattice that coexists with the 2$\times$2$\times$1 CDW in the kagome sublattice. Most interestingly, between the magnetic and CDW transition temperature, the phonon dynamical structure factor shows a giant phonon-energy hardening and a substantial phonon linewidth broadening near the charge-dimerization wavevectors, both signaling the spin-phonon coupling. By first principles calculations, we show that both the static and dynamic spin excitations intertwine with the phonon to drive the spatial symmetry breaking.
Comment: The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request