Three-dimensional energy gap and origin of charge-density wave in kagome superconductor KV3Sb5

Abstract: Kagome lattices offer a fertile ground to explore exotic quantum phenomena associated with electron correlation and band topology. The recent discovery of superconductivity coexisting with charge-density wave (CDW) in the kagome metals KV3Sb5, RbV3Sb5, and CsV3Sb5 suggests an intriguing entanglement of electronic order and superconductivity. However, the microscopic origin of CDW, a key to understanding the superconducting mechanism and its possible topological nature, remains elusive. Here, we report angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy of KV3Sb5 and demonstrate a substantial reconstruction of Fermi surface in the CDW state that accompanies the formation of small three-dimensional pockets. The CDW gap exhibits a periodicity of undistorted Brillouin zone along the out-of-plane wave vector, signifying a dominant role of the in-plane inter-saddle-point scattering to the mechanism of CDW. The characteristics of experimental band dispersion can be captured by first-principles calculations with the inverse star-of-David structural distortion. The present result indicates a direct link between the low-energy excitations and CDW, and puts constraints on the microscopic theory of superconductivity in alkali-metal kagome lattices.