Electronic nematicity - characterized by spontaneous breaking of rotational symmetry while preserving translational symmetry - has emerged as an important phenomenon in strongly correlated quantum materials. Layered van der Waals antiferromagnets with threefold rotational symmetry provide a platform for exploring such physics, as they enable nematic states with three-state Potts character.
The compound FePSe₃ has recently been identified as a candidate system hosting vestigial nematicity associated with zigzag antiferromagnetic order. Optical linear dichroism experiments have demonstrated that uniaxial strain can tune the nematic director and modify the character of the nematic phase transition.
In this project, we investigate lattice and magnetic excitations in FePSe₃ using polarized Raman scattering. We first reproduce previously reported Raman spectra to establish a reliable experimental baseline. Building on this, we will implement controlled uniaxial strain to probe the coupling between lattice vibrations, magnetic order, and nematic symmetry breaking. By tracking symmetry-resolved Raman modes under strain and temperature variation, we aim to identify signatures of nematicity and explore how strain modifies the underlying symmetry landscape.