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

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 〈Δ⁎(r)Δ(0)〉∝r−γ with small exponent γ.