Recent demonstrations of controlled switching between different ordered
macroscopic states by impulsive electromagnetic perturbations in complex
materials have opened some fundamental questions on the mechanisms responsible
for such remarkable behavior. Here we experimentally address the question of
whether two-dimensional (2D) Mott physics can be responsible for unusual
switching between states of different electronic order in the layered
dichalcogenide 1T-TaS2, or it is a result of subtle inter-layer orbitronic
re-ordering of its helical stacking structure. We report on the switching
properties both in-plane and perpendicular to the layers by current-pulse
injection, the anisotropy of electronic transport in the commensurate ground
state, and relaxation properties of the switched metastable state. Contrary to
recent theoretical calculations, which predict a uni-directional metal
perpendicular to the layers, we observe a large resistivity in this direction,
with a temperature-dependent anisotropy. Remarkably, large resistance ratios
are observed in the memristive switching both in-plane (IP) and out-of-plane
(OP). The relaxation dynamics of the metastable state for both IP and OP
electron transport are seemingly governed by the same mesoscopic quantum
re-ordering process. We conclude that 1T-TaS2 shows resistance switching
arising from an interplay of both IP and OP correlations.Comment: 24 pages including 5 figure