Phase slippage at the interface: normal metal/sliding charge-density wave

Phase slippage is required at the current electrodes of quasi-one-dimensional conductors with a charge density wave (CDW) ground state for the conversion from free to condensed carriers. We have performed at the ESRF high-resolution X-ray measurements of the spatially varying shift q(x) of the CDW satellite wave vector between current contacts on a thin NbSe₃ whisker in the sliding state. Applying direct currents, we observe at 90 K a steep exponential decrease of the shift within a few hundred microns from the contact. The CDW strain profile q(x) reflects the carrier conversion process, via nucleation and growth of phase-dislocation loops. Pulsed current measurements of the shift q show important differences between pulsed and dc current data, revealing a spatially dependent relaxational behaviour of the CDW strain. Using time-resolved high spatial resolution X-ray we observe at 300 μm from the electrode a stretched exponential-type decay of the shift q(t) upon switching off the current (T=75 K): q(t)=q₀exp(?t/τ)^μ] with τ=23 ms and μ=0.36.