  Recent experiments report a charge density wave (CDW) in the antiferromagnet
FeGe, but the nature of the charge ordering and the associated structural
distortion remains elusive. We discuss the structural and electronic properties
of FeGe. Our proposed ground state phase accurately captures atomic
topographies acquired by scanning tunneling microscopy. We show that the
2$\times$2$\times$1 CDW likely results from the Fermi surface nesting of
hexagonal-prism-shaped kagome states. FeGe is found to exhibit distortions in
the positions of the Ge atoms instead of the Fe atoms in the kagome layers.
Using in-depth first-principles calculations and analytical modeling, we
demonstrate that this unconventional distortion is driven by the intertwining
of magnetic exchange coupling and CDW interactions in this kagome material.
Movement of Ge atoms from their pristine positions also enhances the magnetic
moment of the Fe kagome layers. Our study indicates that magnetic kagome
lattices provide a material candidate for exploring the effects of strong
electronic correlations on the ground state and their implications for
transport, magnetic, and optical responses in materials.

Materials Science