Abstract:
In this paper, using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy, we focus on understanding the native defects in pristine 1T−TiSe2 at the atomic scale. We probe how they perturb charge density waves (CDWs) and lead to local CDW modulated region formation. These defects influence the correlation length of CDWs. We establish a connection between suppression of CDWs and Ti intercalation, and show how this supports the exciton condensation model of CDW formation in 1T−TiSe2.