Infrared and Raman investigation of the charge–density-wave state in rare-earth tri-telluride compounds

We summarize our recent efforts in investigating the charge–density-wave (CDW) state of the rare-earth tri-tellurides RTe3 by means of infrared and Raman techniques. We identify the CDW gap, as order parameter of the broken-symmetry ground state, as well as the collective mode of the CDW condensate.