Temporally ordered collective creep and dynamic transition in the charge-density-wave conductor NbSe3

TL;DR

This paper reports the observation of a unique low-temperature creep phenomenon in NbSe3, a charge-density-wave conductor, highlighting the role of local pinning and a dynamic phase transition from creep to sliding.

Contribution

It introduces the first observation of temporally ordered creep and a dynamic phase transition in a CDW conductor, emphasizing local pinning effects and collective dynamics.

Findings

Creep develops due to thermally-activated phase advance past impurities

A finite threshold field exists for long-scale collective motion

A first-order transition from creep to high-velocity sliding occurs

Abstract

We have observed an unusual form of creep at low temperatures in the charge-density-wave (CDW) conductor NbSe$_3$. This creep develops when CDW motion becomes limited by thermally-activated phase advance past individual impurities, demonstrating the importance of local pinning and related short-length-scale dynamics. Unlike in vortex lattices, elastic collective dynamics on longer length scales results in temporally ordered motion and a finite threshold field. A first-order dynamic phase transition from creep to high-velocity sliding produces "switching" in the velocity-field characteristic.