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An ideal one-dimensional electronic system is formed along atomic chains onAu-decorated vicinal silicon surfaces but the nature of its low temperaturephases has been puzzled for last two decades. Here, we unambiguously identifythe low temperature structural distortion of this surface using high resolutionatomic force microscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy. The most importantstructural ingredient of this surface, the step-edge Si chains are found to bestrongly buckled, every third atoms down, forming trimer unitcells. Thisobservation is consistent with the recent model of rehybridized dangling bondsand rules out the antiferromagnetic spin ordering proposed earlier. Thespectroscopy and electronic structure calculation indicate a charge densitywave insulator with a Z3 topology making it possible to exploit topologicalphases and excitations. Tunneling current was found to substantially lower theenergy barrier between three degenerate CDW states, which induces a dynamicallyfluctuating CDW at very low temperature.

Z3 Charge Density Wave of Silicon Atomic Chains on a Vicinal Silicon Surface