Benito A. Gonzalez | Searcharxiv

arXiv2026

Revealing the nature of the charge density wave order of ErTe$_3$ via Raman scattering under anisotropic strain

The nature of the charge density wave (CDW) order of the rare-earth tritelluride ErTe3 is investigated by Raman scattering under anisotropic strain. The CDW state of ErTe3 is unconventional since it is accompanied by an unusual mirror symmetry breaking, whose origin remains to be understood. Studying the polarization-resolved Raman spectrum of the CDW amplitude mode as a function of strain and temperature, we find that the mirror symmetry breakings of the CDW state are not independent, arguing against the recently proposed ferro-axial multi-component CDW order. Instead, we show that a single component CDW order parameter with an ordering wavevector tilted away from the principle crystallographic axis can reproduce the observed mirror symmetry breakings and their manifestation in the Raman spectra.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Magnetic dilution in the triangular lattice antiferromagnet NaYb$_{1-x}$Lu$_{x}$O$_2$

The delafossite-like compound NaYbO$_2$ hosts a triangular lattice of Yb$^{3+}$ moments and is a promising candidate for the realization of a quantum spin liquid ground state -- an exotic, quantum-disordered magnetic phase featuring long-range entanglement of spins. Tuning this system away from this quantum-disordered regime toward classical order or spin freezing is a powerful approach to shed light on the nature of the parent ground state. Here we leverage the substitution of nonmagnetic Lu$^{3+}$ onto the Yb$^{3+}$ sites to study the effects of magnetic disorder in NaYbO$_2$ using low-temperature ac susceptibility, heat capacity, and muon spin relaxation ($μ$SR) measurements. Our $μ$SR measurements reveal resilient, correlated magnetic fluctuations that persist to at least 15\% dilution, precluding conventional spin freezing and magnetic inhomogeneity. Heat capacity and magnetic susceptibility resolve a rapid suppression of the field-induced ``up-up-down'' magnetic order upon dilution and a crossover in the power-law behavior of the low-temperature magnetic excitations associated with the zero-field quantum disordered ground state. Taken together, these results support the notion of a robust network of entangled moments in NaYbO$_2$, and provides experimental validation of several models of a Heisenberg triangular lattice antiferromagnet in the presence of disorder.

cond-mat.str-el↗