replying to: C. Candelora & I. Zeljkovic Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10126-1 (2026).
In our paper1, we demonstrate that the relative intensities of charge-density-wave (CDW) peaks in the Fourier transform of STM topographies of RbV3Sb5 can be controlled by an electric field induced by laser light. Moreover, we show that this change in the intensities is accompanied by changes in the ratio of Bragg vectors; we also replicate previous findings on the changes in the CDW state induced by a magnetic field. In their comment, Candelora and Zeljkovic2 assert that, in the absence of artifacts like drift, noise and tip changes, the CDW intensity in the 135 compounds would remain unaffected by light and magnetic fields, consistent with a previous publication from their group3. Before addressing their comments in detail below, we highlight a few key points that cannot be dismissed on the basis of measurement artifacts.
