Abstract
The recently discovered layered kagome metals AV$_3$Sb$_5$(A=K, Rb, Cs) have attracted much attention because of their unique combination of superconductivity, charge density wave (CDW) order, and nontrivial band topology. The CDW order with an in-plane 2x2 reconstruction is found to exhibit exotic properties, such as time-reversal symmetry breaking and rotational symmetry breaking. However, the nature of the CDW, including its dimensionality, structural pattern, and effect on electronic structure, remains elusive despite intense research efforts. Here, using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we unveil for the first time characteristic double-band splittings and band reconstructions, as well as the band gap resulting from band folding, in the CDW phase. Supported by density functional theory calculations, we unambiguously show that the CDW in AV$_3$Sb$_5$ originates from the intrinsic coexistence of Star-of-David and Tri-Hexagonal distortions. The alternating stacking of these two distortions naturally leads to three-dimensional 2x2x2 or 2x2x4 CDW order. Our results provide crucial insights into the nature and distortion pattern of the CDW order, thereby laying down the basis for a substantiated understanding of the exotic properties in the family of AV$_3$Sb$_5$ kagome metals.
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