Versatile electronic phases enabled by intertwined multiple frustrations in an antiferromagnetic two-dimensional semimetal
Abstract Following the discovery of graphene, van der Waals materials have become a major platform for quantum matter, yet strongly interacting phases beyond graphene remain elusive. Using scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy, we uncover three competing stripe- and checkerboard-type multiple-q antiferromagnetic charge-ordered states in the van der Waals semimetal CeTe 3 , beyond the conventional charge density wave. These field-tunable states exhibit propagation vectors of (0.33, 0), (0, 0.08), and (0.19, ±0.19), and are controlled by a modest in-plane magnetic field (~1.5 T). Quasiparticle-interference imaging identifies corresponding three distinct nesting channels and associated Fermi-surface reconstructions. At the same time, spectroscopy reveals a broad electronic reconstruction extending to ±30 meV around the Fermi level, beyond a simple Kondo-coupling picture. Our results establish CeTe 3 as a platform for tunable nanoscale antiferromagnetic electronic phases characterized by intertwined correlations, exotic symmetry-breaking, and nontrivial topology.
Authors
- Yuita Fujisawa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5436-0883)
- K. Miyamoto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5842-9481)
- Takemi Kato (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4396-8292)
- Kazuki Sumida (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5783-3703)
- T. Higashihara
- B. R. M. Smith (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5442-3901)
- Riki Kobayashi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8648-7213)
- Yoshinori Okada (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9172-0844)
- Daichi Ueta (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6617-2356)
- N. Tomoda (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4273-7644)
- Zhenyu Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4857-7234)
- Ping Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7506-4266)
- Okuma R.
- T. Nakamura
- N. Maekawa
- K. Morishita
- C-H. Hsu
- T. Okuda
- C. De
Institutions
- Hiroshima University (JP)
- University of Science and Technology of China (CN)
- High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (JP)
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (JP)
- University of the Ryukyus (JP)
- Japan Science and Technology Agency (JP)
- The University of Tokyo (JP)
- The University of Osaka (JP)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2026-07-23
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-75048-y
- Primary Topic
- Topological Materials and Phenomena
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- University of the Ryukyus
- Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology