Observation of a commensurate super modulation consistent with an intertwined charge density wave and antiferromagnetic phase in monolayer 1T-NbSe2
Monolayer 1T-phase NbSe 2 , a strongly correlated insulator hosting a frustrated spin lattice, has emerged as a promising platform for realizing exotic quantum phases arising from competing orders. Its insulating behavior originates from a charge-density-wave (CDW) state with Star-of-David (SD) clusters, each hosting a localized magnetic moment that forms a triangular spin network. Using scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy (STM/STS), we report the observation of a long-wavelength supermodulation that is commensurate with the SD CDW. To explain this data, we construct a Landau free energy model, which reveals a symmetry-allowed coupling between the spin and charge degrees of freedom. Combined with density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we propose a plausible explanation for the modulation in terms of a phase in which the CDW order is entangled with a noncollinear antiferromagnetic (AFM) state. These findings provide new insights into the complex interplay of electronic correlation, magnetism, and lattice order in two-dimensional quantum materials.
Authors
- Vidya Madhavan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3112-9734)
- Gurjyot Sethi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4357-1906)
- Michael Altvater (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2122-5888)
- Joy Y. Hsu
- Steven G. Louie
- Guannan Chen
- Rachel Birchmier
Institutions
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (US)
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (US)
- University of California, Berkeley (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- npj Quantum Materials
- Published
- 2026-07-17
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41535-026-00924-1
- Primary Topic
- 2D Materials and Applications
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Science Foundation
- U.S. Department of Energy
- Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
- University of Pennsylvania
- Pennsylvania State University
- National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Office of Science
- Division of Materials Research
- Basic Energy Sciences
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory