Non-linear conductivity of one-dimensional charge density wave

A pure system with one-dimensional CDW placed in a homogeneous electric field is considered. Non-linear effects are found to appear due to motion of a soliton superstructure. The dependence of the differential conductivity on the electric field is calculated.     

Fractionally charged excitations in the charge density wave state of a quarter-filled t-J chain with quantum phonons

Elementary excitations of the 4k _F charge density wave state of a quarter-filled strongly correlated electronic one-dimensional chain are investigated in the presence of dispersionless quantum optical phonons using Density Matrix Renormalization Group techniques. Such excitations are shown to be topological solitons carrying charge e/2 and spin zero. Relevance to the 4k _F charge density wave instability in (DI - DCNQI)₂ A g or recently discovered in (TMTTF)₂X ( X=PF ₆, AsF₆) is discussed. Received 30 March 2001 and Received in final form 11 May 2001     

Momentum-resolved charge excitations in a prototype one-dimensional mott insulator

We report momentum-resolved charge excitations in a one-dimensional (1D) Mott insulator studied using high resolution inelastic x-ray scattering over the entire Brillouin zone for the first time. Excitations at the insulating gap edge are found to be highly dispersive (momentum dependent) compared to excitations observed in two-dimensional Mott insulators. The observed dispersion in 1D cuprates ( SrCuO2 and Sr2CuO3) is consistent with charge excitations involving holons which is unique to spin-1/2 quantum chain systems. These results point to the potential utility of momentum-resolved inelastic x-ray scattering in providing valuable information about electronic structure of strongly correlated insulators.     

The onset and the pinning of charge density wave in a quasi one-dimensional conductor

he recently proposed idea by the authors about the onset and the pinning of charge density wave around an impurity is applied to the case of a quasi one-dimensional conductor. The process is described in terns of the local Fermi wave- number and the local amplitude of charge density wave.     

Impurities potential effect on the charge density wave dynamics in one-dimensional systems

In this work, we present in the weak pinning case the numerical simulation results of the one-dimensional deformable charge density wave (CDW) properties considering the potential amplitude fluctuations effect generated by different impurity types randomly distributed in the lattice. When the electric field approaches threshold value ET, the static equilibrium characteristic time τ and the polarization PCDW become large and seem to diverge at critical field Ecr from below ET following a power law [1−(E/Ecr)]^−α where α is an impurity dependant critical exponent. This divergence indicates that the CDW depinning can be described in terms of a dynamical critical phenomena, where the critical field Ecr plays the role of a transition temperature as in ordinary phase transitions. In agreement with several experimental results, we show that the electric current density JCDW and electric conductivity σCDW follow respectively a power law β[(E/ET)−1] and (ET/E)ν[(E/ET)−1] where β and ν are critical exponents. This results are analogous to these obtained in the case of one impurity type.     

Hall mobility in quasi one-dimensional conductors with charge density or spin density wave ground state

High mobilities found for free carriers below the phase transition in quasi one-dimensional crystals such as TTF-TCNQ and (TMTSF)₂PF₆ indicate that defect scattering is unimportant. We calculate the Hall mobility due to phonon scattering and find good agreement with the measured value of 10⁴cm²/Vsec for (TMTSF)₂PF₆ at 4K.     

Resonant Raman scattering from a spin density wave insulator

We present a calculation of the electronic Raman cross section for the scattering of light across the energy gap of an antiferromagnetic insulator. The antiferromagnet is described in terms of a spin density wave state for the Hubbard model at half filling. We consider the coupling of the light to the current density and the inverse mass tensor on equal footing. A comparison of the cross section for different scattering geometries is given.     

Cooperative density wave and giant spin gap in the quarter-filled zigzag electron ladder

Strong cooperative interactions occur between four different broken symmetries involving charge ordering and bond distortions in the quarter-filled correlated zigzag electron ladder. The ground state is singlet, with spin gap several times larger than in the spin-Peierls state of the one-dimensional quarter-filled chain with the same parameters. We propose the quarter-filled zigzag electron ladder model for several different organic charge transfer solids with coupled pairs of quasi-one-dimensional stacks, in which the spin-gap transition temperatures are unusually high.     

Mesoscopic charge density wave in a magnetic flux

The stability of a Charge Density Wave (CDW) in a one-dimensional ring pierced by a Aharonov-Bohm flux is studied in a mean-field picture. It is found that the stability depends on the parity of the number N of electrons. When the size of the ring becomes as small as the coherence length , the CDW gap increases for even N and decreases for odd N. Then when N is even, the CDW gap decreases with flux but it increases when N is odd. The variation of the BCS ratio with size and flux is also calculated. We derive the harmonics expansion of the persistent current in a presence of a finite gap. Received: 16 September 1997 / Received in final form: 12 November 1997 / Accepted: 13 November 1997     

Finite temperature spectral function of Mott insulators and charge density wave states

We calculate the low-temperature spectral function of one-dimensional incommensurate charge density wave states and half filled Mott insulators. At T=0 there are two dispersing features associated with the spin and charge degrees of freedom, respectively. We show that already at very low temperatures (compared to the gap) one of these features gets severely damped. We comment on implications of this result for photoemission experiments.     

Dephasing of Andreev pairs entering a charge density wave

A Cooper pair from a s-wave superconductor (S) entering a conventional charge density wave (CDW) below the Peierls gap dephases on the Fermi wavelength while one particle states are localized on the CDW coherence length ξ_CDW. It is thus practically impossible to observe a Josephson current through a CDW. The paths following different sequences of impurities interfere destructively, due to the different electron and hole densities in the CDW. The same conclusion holds for averaging over the conduction channels in the ballistic system. We apply two microscopic approaches to this phenomenon: (i) a Blonder, Tinkham, Klapwijk (BTK) approach for a single highly transparent S-CDW interface; and (ii) the Hamiltonian approach for the Josephson effect in a clean CDW and a CDW with non magnetic disorder. The Josephson effect through a spin density wave (SDW) is limited by the coherence length ξ_SDW, not by the Fermi wave-length. A Josephson current through a SDW might be observed in a structure with contacts on a SDW separated by a distance ξ_SDW.     

Radiation induced depinning of a charge density wave system

The frequency-dependent response of a pinned charge density wave is considered in terms of forced vibration of an oscillator held in an anharmonic well. It is shown that the effective pinning-frequency can be reduced by applying a d.c. field. If a strong a.c. field, superposed on a d.c. field is applied on such a system “jumps” can be observed in the frequency dependent response of the system. The conditions at which these “jumps” occur are investigated with reference to NbSe₃. The possibility of observing such phenomena in other systems like superionic conductors, non-linear dielectrics like ferroelectrics is pointed out. The characteristics are expressed in terms of some “scaled variables” — in terms of which the characteristics show a universal behaviour.     

Measurement of the shear strength of a charge density wave

We have explored the shear plasticity of charge density waves (CDWs) in NbSe3 samples with cross sections having a single microfabricated thickness step. Shear stresses along the step result from thickness-dependent CDW pinning. For small thickness differences the CDW depins elastically at the volume average depinning field. For large thickness differences the thicker, more weakly pinned side depins first via plastic shear, and shear plasticity contributes substantial dissipation well above the depinning field. A simple model describes the qualitative features of our data and yields a value for the CDW's shear strength of approximately 9.5 x 10(3) Nm(-2). This value is orders of magnitude smaller than the CDW's longitudinal modulus but much larger than corresponding values for flux line lattices, and in part explains the relative coherence of the CDW response.     

Nonthermal melting of a charge density wave in TiSe2

We use time-resolved optical reflectivity and x-ray diffraction with femtosecond resolution to study the dynamics of the structural order parameter of the charge density wave phase in TiSe2. We find that the energy density required to melt the charge density wave nonthermally is substantially lower than that required for thermal suppression and is comparable to the charge density wave condensation energy. This observation, together with the fact that the structural dynamics take place on an extremely fast time scale, supports the exciton condensation mechanism for the charge density wave in TiSe2.     

The angular magnetothermoelectric power of a charge density wave system

The angular dependence of the magnetothermopower of a charge transfer organic salt α-(ET)(2)KHg(SCN)(4) below (4 K) and above (9 K) the phase transition temperature, T(p) = 8 K, and under fields of 15 T and 25 T, below and above the 'kinkfield', has been studied. We find that for a longitudinal thermoelectric measurement both an interlayer thermopower (the Seebeck effect), S(zz), and a transverse thermopower (the Nernst effect), S(yz), exist in all three different B-T phases (the CDW (0), CDW (x) and metallic states) with large amplitude. Both thermoelectric effects display a resonant-like behavior without a sign reversal at the angles corresponding to angular magnetoresistance oscillation minima and maxima in this compound. The resonant behavior is most evident in the CDW(0) state, indicating a mechanism involving the Fermi surface nesting. Angular dependences reveal different behaviors of the thermopower and Nernst effect in the high magnetic field (CDW(x)) state.     

Mesoscopic properties of quasi-one-dimensional conductors with a charge density wave

Recent experiments on a search for small-scale quantum coherence in quasi-one-dimensional materials with a charge-density wave are reviewed.     

Shear modulus and plasticity of a driven charge density wave

We have probed the effects of transverse variations in pinning strength on charge-density-wave (CDW) structure in NbSe3 by x-ray micro-beam diffraction. In ribbonlike crystals having a large longitudinal step in thickness, the CDW first depins on the thick side of the step, causing rotations of the CDW wave vector. By measuring these rotations as a function of position and electric field, the corresponding shear strains are determined, allowing the CDW's shear modulus to be estimated. These results demonstrate the usefulness of x-ray microdiffraction as a tool in studying collective dynamics in electronic crystals.     

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.     

Collapse of charge order in a quasi-one-dimensional organic conductor with a quarter-filled band

A charge-ordered insulator, (DI-DCNQI)2Ag, with a quasi-one-dimensional quarter-filled band is metallized by pressure. It was found that the charge order melts into a curious metallic state with cubic-temperature dependence of the resistivity, which implies the unprecedented mechanism of the electron-electron scattering. We constructed the pressure-temperature phase diagram, where the melting line has a tricritical point dividing the second-order line at low pressures and the first-order line at high pressures just before it vanishes.