Charge-Order Pattern of the Low-Temperature Phase of NaV2O5 Uniquely Determined by Resonant X-Ray Scattering from Monoclinic Single Domain

The present resonant x-ray scattering from each of monoclinically-split single domains of NaV 2 O 5 has critically enhanced contrast between V 4+ and V 5+ ions strong enough to lead to unambiguous conclusion of the charge-order pattern of its low-temperature phase below T c = 35 K. The zig-zag type charge-order patterns in the ab -plane previously confirmed have four kinds of configurations (A, A’, B and B’) and the stacking sequence along the c -axis is determined as the AAA’A’ type by comparison with model calculations. By assigning the A and A’ configurations to Ising spins, one can reasonably understand the previously discovered ”devil’s staircase”-type behavior with respect to the modulation of the layer-stacking sequences at high pressures and low temperatures, which very well resembles the global phase diagram theoretically predicted by the ANNNI model.