Electronic nature of charge density wave and electron-phonon coupling in kagome superconductor KVSb.

The Kagome superconductors AVSb (A = K, Rb, Cs) have received enormous attention due to their nontrivial topological electronic structure, anomalous physical properties and superconductivity. Unconventional charge density wave (CDW) has been detected in AVSb. High-precision electronic structure determination is essential to understand its origin. Here we unveil electronic nature of the CDW phase in our high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission measurements on KVSb. We have observed CDW-induced Fermi surface reconstruction and the associated band folding. The CDW-induced band splitting and the associated gap opening have been revealed at the boundary of the pristine and reconstructed Brillouin zones. The Fermi surface- and momentum-dependent CDW gap is measured and the strongly anisotropic CDW gap is observed for all the V-derived Fermi surface. In particular, we have observed signatures of the electron-phonon coupling in KVSb. These results provide key insights in understanding the nature of the CDW state and its interplay with superconductivity in AVSb superconductors.