Magneto-transport and electronic structure studies of ternary antimonides, La$T$Sb$_2$ ($T$ = Cu, Ag)
We investigate Sb square net-based Dirac semimetallic ternary antimonides La$T$Sb$_2$ ($T$ = Cu, Ag) using magnetotransport and photoelectron spectroscopic studies, complemented by density functional theory (DFT) based ab initio calculations. Our results show that both compounds exhibit a positive temperature coefficient of resistivity, linear magnetoresistance (MR), and a deviation from Fermi liquid behaviour at low temperatures (2-30 K). But only $T$ = Ag compound exhibit signature of charge density wave (CDW) phenomena and the results of its temperature dependent MR data suggest that single-band semiclassical transport is not sufficient to understand the transport behaviour. $\text{DFT}+U$ studies show that in both samples, an on-site Coulomb interaction ($U$) for Cu 3$d$ and Ag 4$d$ electrons, in the presence of spin-orbit coupling (SOC) is required to reproduce experimental valence band spectra. Sb 3$d$, 4$d$ core-level spectra combined with $\text{DFT}+U$ calculations and La 3$d$ spectra confirm the presence and effects of inequivalent Sb sites for both the samples. In contrast to the $T$ = Cu compound, which follows expected temperature-dependent core-level sharpening, the $T$ = Ag compound exhibits an anomalous low-temperature broadening in the CDW phase. The analysis of Sb 3$d$ spectra suggests Sb square nets are linked to CDW phenomena in the $T$ = Ag compound. Temperature-dependent ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopic studies on $T$ = Ag show a small decrement in spectral DOS at the $ε_F$ for the temperature below the CDW transition temperature. These core-level studies provide a valuable spectroscopic benchmark for comparing CDW and non-CDW systems and clarifying the role of local electronic environments in CDW formation.