Contributions of spontaneous phase slippage to linear and non-linear conduction near the Peierls transition in thin samples of o-TaS_3

In the Peierls state very thin samples of TaS_3 (cross-section area \sim 10^{-3} mkm^2) are found to demonstrate smearing of the I-V curves near the threshold field. With approaching the Peierls transition temperature, T_P, the smearing evolves into smooth growth of conductance from zero voltage interpreted by us as the contribution of fluctuations to the non--linear conductance. We identify independently the fluctuation contribution to the linear conductance near T_P. Both linear and non-linear contributions depend on temperature with close activation energies \sim (2 - 4) x 10^3 K and apparently reveal the same process. We reject creep of the {\it continuous} charge-density waves (CDWs) as the origin of this effect and show that it is spontaneous phase slippage that results in creep of the CDW. A model is proposed accounting for both the linear and non-linear parts of the fluctuation conduction up to T_P.Comment: 6 pages, 5 Postscript figure, RevTeX, accepted for publication in PR

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

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.Comment: 4 pages, 4 eps figures; minor clarifications To be published in Phys. Rev. Let

NbSe3: Effect of Uniaxial Stress on the Threshold Field and Fermiology

We have measured the effect of uniaxial stress on the threshold field ET for the motion of the upper CDW in NbSe3. ET exhibits a critical behavior, ET ~ (1 - e/ec)^g, wher e is the strain, and ec is about 2.6% and g ~ 1.2. This ecpression remains valid over more than two decades of ET, up to the highest fields of about 1.5keV/m. Neither g nor ec is very sensitive to the impurity concentraction. The CDW transition temperature Tp decreases linearly with e at a rate dTp/de = -10K/%, and it does not show any anomaly near ec. Shubnikov de-Haas measurements show that the extremal area of the Fermi surface decreases with increasing strain. The results suggest that there is an intimate relationship between pinning of the upper CDW and the Fermiology of NbSe3.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

X-Ray Scattering Measurements of the Transient Structure of a Driven Charge-Density-Wave

We report time-resolved x-ray scattering measurements of the transient structural response of the sliding {\bf Q}$_{1}$ charge-density-wave (CDW) in NbSe$_{3}$ to a reversal of the driving electric field. The observed time scale characterizing this response at 70K varies from $\sim$ 15 msec for driving fields near threshold to $\sim$ 2 msec for fields well above threshold. The position and time-dependent strain of the CDW is analyzed in terms of a phenomenological equation of motion for the phase of the CDW order parameter. The value of the damping constant, $\gamma = (3.2 \pm 0.7) \times 10^{-19}$ eV $\cdot$ seconds $\cdot$ \AA$^{-3}$, is in excellent agreement with the value determined from transport measurements. As the driving field approaches threshold from above, the line shape becomes bimodal, suggesting that the CDW does not depin throughout the entire sample at one well-defined voltage.Comment: revtex 3.0, 7 figure

Tunable Charge Density Wave Transport in a Current-Effect Transistor

The collective charge density wave (CDW) conduction is modulated by a transverse single-particle current in a transistor-like device. Nonequilibrium conditions in this geometry lead to an exponential reduction of the depinning threshold, allowing the CDWs to slide for much lower bias fields. The results are in excellent agreement with a recently proposed dynamical model in which ''wrinkles'' in the CDW wavefronts are ''ironed'' by the transverse current. The experiment might have important implications for other driven periodic media, such as moving vortex lattices or ''striped phases'' in high-Tc superconductors.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Self-Organized Short-Term Memories

We report short-term memory formation in a nonlinear dynamical system with many degrees of freedom. The system ``remembers'' a sequence of impulses for a transient period, but it coarsens and eventually ``forgets'' nearly all of them. The memory duration increases as the number of degrees of freedom in the system increases. We demonstrate the existence of these transient memories in a laboratory experiment.Comment: Significantly revised version with additional authors, accepted by PRL. 13 pages, 4 figures. Postscript version with higher resolution figures available at ftp://haber.uchicago.edu/pub/memories.p

Normal-state conductivity in underdoped La_{2-x}Sr_xCuO_4 thin films: Search for nonlinear effects related to collective stripe motion

We report a detailed study of the electric-field dependence of the normal-state conductivity in La_{2-x}Sr_xCuO_4 thin films for two concentrations of doped holes, x=0.01 and 0.06, where formation of diagonal and vertical charged stripes was recently suggested. In order to elucidate whether high electric fields are capable of depinning the charged stripes and inducing their collective motion, we have measured current-voltage characteristics for various orientations of the electric field with respect to the crystallographic axes. However, even for the highest possible fields (~1000 V/cm for x=0.01 and \~300 V/cm for x=0.06) we observed no non-linear-conductivity features except for those related to the conventional Joule heating of the films. Our analysis indicates that Joule heating, rather than collective electron motion, may also be responsible for the non-linear conductivity observed in some other 2D transition-metal oxides as well. We discuss that a possible reason why moderate electric fields fail to induce a collective stripe motion in layered oxides is that fairly flexible and compressible charged stripes can adjust themselves to the crystal lattice and individual impurities, which makes their pinning much stronger than in the case of conventional rigid charge-density waves.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Taxing the Informal Economy: The Current State of Knowledge and Agendas for Future Research

This paper reviews the literature on taxation of the informal economy, taking stock of key debates and drawing attention to recent innovations. Conventionally, the debate on whether to tax has frequently focused on the limited revenue potential, high cost of collection, and potentially adverse impact on small firms. Recent arguments have increasingly emphasised the more indirect benefits of informal taxation in relation to economic growth, broader tax compliance, and governance. More research is needed, we argue, into the relevant costs and benefits for all, including quasi-voluntary compliance, political and administrative incentives for reform, and citizen-state bargaining over taxation