Modulation of electronic liquid crystal phases by local strain in few-layer FeSe films

Modulation of electronic liquid crystal phases by local strain in few-layer FeSe films | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Modulation of electronic liquid crystal phases by local strain in few-layer FeSe films Chong Liu, Xuesong Gai, Hao Xu, Yi Yang, Yifan Guo, Xinyue Wang, and 4 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7507458/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Symmetry-broken electronic phases bring abundant correlated phenomena in iron-based superconductors. The interplay between subtle lattice distortion and electronic states has drawn sustained interest, yet the underlying microscopic behaviors remain elusive. In this work, we perform a comprehensive scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy study into the lattice structure and electronic smecticity in few-layer FeSe thin films on SrTiO 3 (001) substrates. By quantitatively extracting the strain tensor components, we visualize the local strain induced by native line defects, including dislocation lines and step-flow edges. Extensive analysis reveals a close dependence of smectic ordering on structural anisotropy. The smectic stripes preferentially align parallel to the shorter Fe-Fe axis of the distorted orthorhombic lattice, and the line defects help to stabilize larger domain blocks. Our findings unveil a unified picture of the coupling between crystalline lattice and electronic liquid crystal states in FeSe, hence provide a pathway to manipulating the electronic phases at the nanoscale. Physical sciences/Physics/Condensed-matter physics/Surfaces, interfaces and thin films Physical sciences/Nanoscience and technology/Nanoscale materials/Two-dimensional materials Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files FeSesmecticSI20250831.pdf Supplementary Information Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7507458","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":512070593,"identity":"16ed0c1f-a613-4735-9ab2-15bf3e43521e","order_by":0,"name":"Chong 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