Complex charge density waves at Van Hove singularity on hexagonal lattices: Haldane-model phase diagram and potential realization in kagome metals $\text{AV}_3\text{Sb}_5$

Abstract

We investigate how the real and imaginary charge density waves interplay at the Van Hove singularity on the hexagonal lattices. A phenomenological analysis indicates the formation of $3Q$ complex orders at all three nesting momenta. Under a total phase condition, unequal phases at the three momenta break the rotation symmetry generally. The $3Q$ complex orders constitute a rich Haldane-model phase diagram. When effective time-reversal symmetries arise under 1-site translations, the Dirac semimetals are protected. The breakdown of these symmetries gaps the Dirac points and leads to the trivial and Chern insulator phases. These phases are deformations of purely real and imaginary orders, which exhibit trivial site and/or bond density and chiral flux orders, respectively. The exotic single-Dirac-point semimetals also appear along the gapless phase boundary. We further show that the theoretical model offers transparent interpretations of experimental observations in the kagome metals $\text{AV}_3\text{Sb}_5$ with $\text{A}=\text{K},\text{Rb},\text{Cs}$. The topological charge density waves may be identified with the complex orders in the Chern insulator phase. Meanwhile, the lower-temperature symmetry-breaking phenomena may be interpreted as the secondary orders from the complex order ground states. Our work sheds light on the nature of the topological charge density waves in the kagome metals $\text{AV}_3\text{Sb}_5$ and may offer useful indications to the experimentally observed charge orders in the future experiments.