Thermal fluctuations and ac response of weakly pinned charge density waves

The Fukuyama-Lee theory for the ac response () of weakly pinned charge density waves is extended to include thermal fluctuations. The equation of motion for the local phase includes an extrinsic damping and a distinction is made between static and dynamic parameters in it. It is split into static, thermally fluctuating and response contributions to the phase, respectively. The static problem is treated using a result from Feigel'man's theory which provides a revised value for the weak pinning constant. The impurity averaging of the response equation is performed using the simplifying statistical properties of the stochastic pinning force following Bleher's recent work. The main emphasis is on the treatment of the thermal fluctuations via a thermal field _th. The non-linear Langevin equation for _th is linearized and further simplified by an RPA type approximation which eliminates the impurity fluctuations from _th. The resulting equation is solved exactly. It is shown that the correlation function of the thermal field decays initially with a short time constant. This allows to treat the thermal fluctuations on an equal footing with the impurity fluctuations in the self-consistent Born approximation. The main contribution of the thermal fluctuations results in powers of a thermal factor exp(- _th ² /2) to the first and second order self energies of the phason Green's function. Numerical results due to these modifications are given for (,T). It is found that the absorption peak in Re () broadens and shifts to lower frequencies when the temperature is raised. The corresponding treatment for three spatial dimensional is indicated. The thermal factor is evaluated for this case and differences to Maki's result are noted. The questions of analyticity and conductivity sum rule are also dealt with.Dedicated to Professor Helmut Reik on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

Transportation of pinned charge density waves

We investigated the transport of pinned charge density waves (CDWs) that is observed in low dimensional materials. We treated pinned CDWs as moving CDWs that were confined within a typical quantum well amongst the many different types where pinning occurs at the barrier. We calculated the current flowing out of the quantum well by confined CDWs. The calculated conductivity is in good correspondence with experimental data in TTF–TCNQ, where the measured Fröhlich–Peierls temperature is 60 K much higher than the theoretical value of 20 K. The voltage dependence of the conductivity was calculated, where this is easily transformed into the dependence of electric field. The magnetic susceptibility was also calculated with a similar trend of experimental data. The susceptibility is a diamagnetic contribution by CDWs in addition to the constant background Pauli paramagnetic part.     

Local distortion of pinned charge density waves in orthorombic TaS3

We found that the characteristic field E_MS, associated with the relaxation of the metastable ohmic conductivity, is distinctly different from the threshold field E_T for the nonlinear conduction. While E_T diverges with decreasing sample length ?, E_MS is shown to be independent of ?. The results are interpreted in terms of local rearrangement of charge density waves.     

Harmonic mixing in the classical charge density wave model above threshold

The third order response properties of the classical model for charge transport by charge density waves above the conductivity threshold are investigated analytically. The model is isomorphic to that of a resistively shunted Josephson circuit (RSJ model) and thus exhibits an oscillating solution above a threshold electric driving field with a characteristic internal frequencyω _ph . By a systematic perturbation expansion in powers of the perturbing field strengths thedc response of the time varying state to twoac fields of frequencies ω and 2ω is evaluated. This determines the harmonic mixing signal (HMS) as a third order response. The general formula is explicitly evaluated far above threshold giving a result similar to the Kanter-Vernon formula for the rectified signal in second order. In addition to the resonance atω _ph =ω a second resonance is found atω _ph =2ω. A characteristic feature for the HMS above threshold is the absence of an out of phase component, i.e. the internal phase shift is zero.     

The influence of impurities on the quasiparticle tunneling current between weakly coupled quasi-one-dimensional charge density waves

The dc and ac conductivity of a tunneling junction between two impure quasi-one-dimensional charge density wave (CDW) systems is calculated. The non-magnetic impurities are considered in the self-consistent Born approximation (SCBA). Impurities modify the density of states (DOS) of the pure CDW system for quasiparticles inside the energy region of the gap 2(T). As in the pure case, the theory predicts in addition to a tunneling current which is proportional to the product of the DOS a term proportional to the cosine of the order parameter phase difference. In the case of a normal state/CDW junction, analytical expressions are obtained forT=0 showing deviations from the pure case. The linear ac conductivity is obtained by the scaling relation between the dc and the ac response.     

Phenomenology of current oscillations by sliding charge density waves

Bardeen's suggestion that the dc current associated with the sliding of a charge density wave instead of the dc electric field determines the dynamics of the phase, is formulated in a simple but self-consistent way. The resulting equation of motion for the phase reduces to that of the classical model of a rigid charge density wave far above threshold with a new, nondissipative scaling frequency. It is suggested that the harmonic content of the narrow band noise monitored as function of dc bias may decide between both interpretations. The model may also have relevance to the observation of subharmonics and chaos in charge density wave systems.     

Conductivity from charge or spin density waves

Below a Peierls transition the coupled electron phonon collective mode plays an important role in the conductivity of one-dimensional metal models such as have been recently postulated for various organic compounds. Within the jellium model, or in an incommensurate situation, the mode frequency goes to zero for q → 0 and is responsible for the infinite conductivity first proposed by Fröhlich. Impurities, lattice commensurability and three dimensional ordering introduce a gap into the mode spectrum. The low frequency conductivity and a large dielectric constant are predicted. Similar effects are predicted for a spin density wave.     

Electronic structure for sliding charge density waves

We present a model for the electron system in NbSe₃ based on its quasi one-dimensional metallic properties. In a one-dimensional metal phonon drag of 2K_F-phonons takes place at temperatures higher than θ_D, since the phonon-electron scattering rate τ^?1_ph?el is greater than the phonon-phonon rate τ^?1_ph?ph. this situation is in contrast to the situation in three dimensional metals, where phonon drag takes place only at very low temperatures. Our model explains the transport properties of the material including the electrical conductivity anistropy, the conductivity in a strong electric field, and the Hall effect data.     

Pseudogap and charge density waves in two dimensions

Using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy we demonstrate that a normal-state pseudogap exists above T(N-IC) in one of the most studied two-dimensional charge-density wave (CDW) dichalcogenides 2H-TaSe(2). The initial formation of the incommensurate CDW is confirmed as being driven by a conventional nesting instability, which is marked by a pseudogap. The magnitude, character, and anisotropy of the 2D-CDW pseudogap bear considerable resemblance to those seen in superconducting cuprates.     

Breathing charge density waves in intrinsic Josephson junctions

We demonstrate the creation of a charge density wave (CDW) along a stack of coupled Josephson junctions (JJs) in layered superconductors. Electric charge in each superconducting layer oscillates around some average value, forming a breathing CDW. We show the transformation of a longitudinal plasma wave to CDW in the state corresponding to the outermost branch. Transition between different types of CDW’s related to the inner branches of IV characteristic is demonstrated. The effect of the external electromagnetic radiation on the states corresponding to the inner branches differs crucially from the case of the single JJ. The Shapiro steps in the IV characteristics of the junctions in the stack do not correspond directly to the frequency of radiation ω. The system of JJs behaves like a single whole system: the Shapiro steps or their harmonics in the total IV characteristics appear at voltage $\sum {V_l } = N_R \frac{m} {n}\omega$ , where V _l is the voltage in the lth junction, N _R is the number of JJs in the rotating state, and m and n are integers.     

Coupled charge density waves in nearly one dimensional systems

A mean field theory of coupling between charge density waves CDW in linear chain systems is described. It is shown that interchain coupling can stabilize CDW's and lead to a semiconducting behavior. The model is applied to semiconducting TCNQ salts.     

Fermi surface and charge density waves in niobium diselenide

The Fermi energy of niobium diselenide is calculated and the result is used to compute the wave-vector dependent susceptibility χ(q). This is found to have a fairly narrow peak at a wave-vector in very good agreement with that of the periodic lattice distortion developed by the solid at low temperature and such a peak can be seen to arise from good nesting of the Fermi surface.     

On the coexistence of superconductivity and charge density waves

We study a simple tight-binding (Hubbard) model for electrons interacting via a short range attractive potential. We show that on a cubic lattice, for a half-filled band the ground state may feature both superconductivity and a charge density wave. We examine the response of such a ground state to an external magnetic field and describe the effect of the charge density wave on the Meissner effect.     

Pseudogaps in incommensurate charge density waves and one-dimensional semiconductors

We consider pseudogap effects for electrons interacting with gapless modes. We study generic 1D semiconductors with acoustic phonons and incommensurate charge density waves. We calculate the subgap absorption as it can be observed by means of photoelectron or tunneling spectroscopy. Within the formalism of functional integration and adiabatic approximation, the probabilities are described by nonlinear configurations of an instanton type. Particularities of both cases are determined by the topological nature of stationary excited states (acoustic polarons or amplitude solitons) and by the presence of gapless phonons that change the usual dynamics to the quantum dissipation regime. Below the free-particle edge, the pseudogap starts with an exponential (stretched exponential for gapful phonons) decrease of the transition rates. Deeply within the pseudogap, they are dominated by a power law, in contrast to a nearly exponential law for gapful modes.     

Thermal stability of mode-locking steps in charge density waves

We examine the stability of mode-locking steps in incommensurate charge density waves in the presence of finite temperature. The steps turn out to be quite stable by showing a series of definite plateaus in the current-voltage characteristics. We also study the dynamical phase transition from a mode-locked state to an unlocked state by assuming the fact that there exists a similar power-law scaling hypothesis as in a pinning-depinning phase transition. The critical exponents around both the edges of the mode-locking steps are found to have similar values for the depinning transition.     

Time-correlated soliton tunneling in charge and spin density waves

We consider a model in which an electric field induces quantum nucleation of kink-antikink pairs in a pinned charge or spin density wave. Pair nucleation events, prevented by Coulomb blockade below a pair creation threshold, become correlated in time above threshold. The model provides a natural explanation for the observed (i) small density wave polarization below threshold in NbSe (3), (ii) narrow band noise, (iii) coherent oscillations, and (iv) mode-locking at high drift frequencies.     

Magnetic field dependence of charge density waves in PbTe

Previous work by the authors indicated the possible existence of charge density waves in PbTe in the presence of strong magnetic fields so that the extreme quantum limit conditions prevail. The present work follows the transition as the field is lowered so that successively higher Landau levels become occupied. The transition persists at increasingly lower temperatures, having a maximum value, T_cmax, identifiable with each value, N, of the last (partially) occupied Landau level.     

Effects of charge density waves on bragg peak intensities

The theory of diffraction from a modulated lattice predicts, in addition to satellite formation, that the main reflections themselves are affected. We observed this effect in TaS₂, across the polymorphic transition 1T₁ ? 1T₂ at T₀ = 80° C.     

Energy relaxation in disordered charge and spin density waves

We investigate collective effects in the strong pinning model of disordered charge and spin density waves (CDWs and SDWs) in connection with heat relaxation experiments. We discuss the classical and quantum limits that contribute to two distinct contribution to the specific heat (a Cv T-2 contribution and a Cv T contribution respectively), with two different types of disorder (strong pinning versus substitutional impurities). From the calculation of the two level system energy splitting distribution in the classical limit we find no slow relaxation in the commensurate case and a broad spectrum of relaxation times in the incommensurate case. In the commensurate case quantum effects restore a non vanishing energy relaxation, and generate stronger disorder effects in incommensurate systems. For substitutional disorder we obtain Friedel oscillations of bound states close to the Fermi energy. With negligible interchain couplings this explains the power-law specific heat Cv T observed in experiments on CDWs and SDWs combined to the power-law susceptibility (T)T-1+ observed in the CDW o-TaS3.