Current Oscillations and Stability of Charge-Density-Wave Motion inNbSe3

Abstract

Observations are reported of current oscillations with frequency proportional to current in the nonlinear conduction region in ${\mathrm{NbSe}}_3$. At high electric field strengths the amplitude of the oscillations decreases with increasing charge-density-wave current. It is suggested that this behavior is due to the periodic motion of the charge-density wave as it slides through pinning potential, and good agreement is found when the potential is evaluated from the frequency-dependent conductivity. The same theory is used to estimate the stability of the pinned charge-density wave.