43 research outputs found
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. 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
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
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} charge-density-wave (CDW) in
NbSe to a reversal of the driving electric field. The observed time scale
characterizing this response at 70K varies from 15 msec for driving
fields near threshold to 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, eV
seconds \AA, 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
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
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