title: Structure and control of charge density waves in two-dimensional 1T-TaS2.
abstract: The layered transition metal dichalcogenides host a rich collection of charge density wave phases in which both the conduction electrons and the atomic structure display translational symmetry breaking. Manipulating these complex states by purely electronic methods has been a long-sought scientific and technological goal. Here, we show how this can be achieved in 1T-TaS2 in the 2D limit. We first demonstrate that the intrinsic properties of atomically thin flakes are preserved by encapsulation with hexagonal boron nitride in inert atmosphere. We use this facile assembly method together with transmission electron microscopy and transport measurements to probe the nature of the 2D state and show that its conductance is dominated by discommensurations. The discommensuration structure can be precisely tuned in few-layer samples by an in-plane electric current, allowing continuous electrical control over the discommensuration-melting transition in 2D.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027;
authors.forename: Adam W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Tsen
authors.affiliation: School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853;
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hovden
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027;
authors.forename: Dennis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027;
authors.forename: Young Duck
authors.initials: YD
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Hamburg, D-20355 Hamburg, Germany;
authors.forename: Junichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.affiliation: School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853;
authors.forename: Katherine A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Spoth
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Materials Physics, Institute of Solid State Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, People's Republic of China;
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Materials Physics, Institute of Solid State Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, People's Republic of China;
authors.forename: Wenjian
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Materials Physics, Institute of Solid State Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, People's Republic of China; High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, People's Republic of China; Collaborative Innovation Centre of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, People's Republic of China;
authors.forename: Yuping
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027;
authors.forename: James C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Hone
authors.affiliation: School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853; Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science, Ithaca, NY 14853;
authors.forename: Lena F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Kourkoutis
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027; Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138 pkim@physics.harvard.edu pasupathy@phys.columbia.edu.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027; pkim@physics.harvard.edu pasupathy@phys.columbia.edu.
authors.forename: Abhay N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Pasupathy
keywords: charge density waves; strongly correlated systems; two-dimensional materials