Temperature Evolution of the Nearly-Commensurate Charge Density Wave State of 1T-TaS2

The nearly-commensurate (NC) charge density wave (CDW) state of 1T-TaS2 is characterized by a hexagonal atomic lattice, hexagonal CDW lattice, and a hexagonally-ordered CDW domain structure. These features are easily captured in scanning tunneling microscopy images. Analysis of these images, as well as their Fourier transforms, allows for a sub-angstrom characterization of the NC-CDW state. In this work, we combine scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) measurements with computer-generated topographic simulations to study the temperature-dependent evolution of the NC-CDW state across its temperature range (~200 – 355 K). In particular, we detail the temperature-induced evolution of CDW domains and observed intradomain CDW chirality.