Crossover from 2-dimensional to 1-dimensional collective pinning in NbSe3

TL;DR

This study investigates how reducing the width of NbSe3 structures below the phase-coherence length causes a transition from 2D to 1D collective pinning, revealing new insights into charge-density wave dynamics.

Contribution

It demonstrates a crossover from 2D to 1D pinning in NbSe3 structures as width decreases below the phase-coherence length, highlighting the role of dimensionality in charge-density wave behavior.

Findings

Crossover occurs at widths less than 1.6 μm.

Surface pinning is negligible in the studied samples.

Provides a new method to probe single domain dynamics.

Abstract

We have fabricated NbSe$_3$ structures with widths comparable to the Fukuyama-Lee-Rice phase-coherence length. For samples already in the 2-dimensional pinning limit, we observe a crossover from 2-dimensional to 1-dimensional collective pinning when the crystal width is less than 1.6 $\mu$m, corresponding to the phase-coherence length in this direction. Our results show that surface pinning is negligible in our samples, and provide a means to probe the dynamics of single domains giving access to a new regime in charge-density wave physics.