Kekulé Order from Diffuse Nesting near Higher-Order Van Hove Points
Abstract
Translation symmetry-breaking order is assumed to be suppressed by the lack of Fermi surface nesting near certain higher-order Van Hove singularities (HOVHS). We show that the anisotropic band-flattening inherent to such HOVHS, combined with broadening of the Fermi surface due to elevated critical scales, results in the Fermi surface becoming approximately nested at a wave vector unrelated to the precise shape of the Fermi surface-leading to a sqrt[3]×sqrt[3] Kekulé density wave formation. The effect is demonstrated using unbiased renormalization group calculations for a model of the breathing kagome lattice. Our mechanism-termed diffuse nesting-represents an entirely new notion in the study of Fermi surface instabilities.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Quantum chaos and dynamical systems
Quantum Mechanics and Non-Hermitian Physics
Nonlinear Photonic Systems
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Physical Review Letters
- Publisher
- American Physical Society (APS)
- Volume
- 136
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- 106503–106503
- Publication date
- 12 February 2026
- Language
- EN