Stabilization of the surface CDW order parameter by long-range Coulomb interaction

Abstract

We study theoretically formation of two-dimensional (2D) charge density wave (CDW) in a system of conducting chains at the surface of an insulator due to interaction of quasi 1D surface electrons with phonons. We show that the unscreened long-range Coloumb interaction between the charges induced by fluctuations of the CDW phase stabilizes the finite order parameter value at finite temperatures, and thus the long-range order (LRO) exists. In the case of screened Coloumb interaction the phase fluctuations suppress the phase transition, but decay of the order parameter is rather slow, it obeys a power-law $<\Delta^*(r) \Delta(0)> \propto r^{-\gamma}$ with small exponent $\gamma$