Stable charge density wave phase in a 1T-TiSe$_2$ monolayer

Abstract: Charge density wave (CDW) phases are symmetry-reduced states of matter in which a periodic modulation of the electronic charge frequently leads to drastic changes of the electronic spectrum, including the emergence of energy gaps. We analyze the CDW state in a 1T-TiSe$_2$ monolayer within a density functional theory framework and show that, similarly to its bulk counterpart, the monolayer is unstable towards a commensurate $2{\times}2$ periodic lattice distortion (PLD) and CDW at low temperatures. Analysis of the electron and phonon spectrum establishes the PLD as the stable $T=0$ K configuration with a narrow bandgap, whereas the undistorted and semi-metalic state is stable only above a threshold temperature. The lattice distortions as well as the unfolded and reconstructed band structure in the CDW phase agree well with experimental results. We also address evidence in our results for the role of electron-electron interactions in the CDW instability of 1T-TiSe$_2$ monolayers.