Charge density wave modulation and gap measurements in CeTe${}_3$

We present a study of charge density wave (CDW) ordering in CeTe${}_3$ at room temperature using a scanning tunneling microscope and Raman spectroscopy. Two characteristic CDW ordering wavevectors obtained from the Fourier analysis are assessed to be $\mathrm{\mid }{\mathbf{\text{c}}}^{\ast }-\mathbf{q}\mathrm{\mid }=4.19{\mathrm{n}\mathrm{m}}^{-1}$ and $|{\bf q}|=10.26,{\rm nm}^{-1}$where$|{\bf c}^\ast| = 2\pi/c$ is the reciprocal lattice vector. The scanning tunneling spectroscopy measurements, along with inelastic light (Raman) scattering measurements, show a CDW gap $\Delta_{\rm max}$ of approximately 0.37 eV. In addition to the CDW modulation, we observe an organization of the Te sheet atoms in an array of alternating V- and N- groups along the CDW modulation, as predicted in the literature.