Observation of multiple charge density wave phases in epitaxial monolayer 1T-VSe_(2) film

As a special order of electronic correlation induced by spatial modulation, the charge density wave(CDW) phenomena in condensed matters attract enormous research interests. Here, using scanning-tunneling microscopy in various temperatures, we discover a hidden incommensurate stripe-like CDW order besides the(■) CDW phase at low-temperature of 4 K in the epitaxial monolayer 1T-VSe_(2) film. Combining the variable-temperature angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopic(ARPES) measurements, we discover a two-step transition of an anisotropic CDW gap structure that consists of two parts △_(1) and△_(2). The gap part ?1 that closes around ~ 150 K is accompanied with the vanish of the(√7×√3) CDW phase. While another momentum-dependent gap part △_(2) can survive up to ~ 340 K, and is suggested to the result of the incommensurate CDW phase. This two-step transition with anisotropic gap opening and the resulted evolution in ARPES spectra are corroborated by our theoretical calculation based on a phenomenological form for the self-energy containing a two-gap structure △_(1) +△_(2), which suggests different forming mechanisms between the(√7×√3) and the incommensurate CDW phases. Our findings provide significant information and deep understandings on the CDW phases in monolayer 1T-VSe_(2) film as a two-dimensional(2D) material.