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This brief review recalls some chapters in theory of sliding incommensurate density waves which may have appeared after inspirations from studies of I.E Dzyaloshinskii and collaborations with him. First we address the spin density waves which rich order parameter allows for an unusual object of a complex topological nature: a half-integer dislocation combined with a semi-vortex of the staggered magnetization. It becomes energetically preferable with respect to an ordinary dislocation due to the high Coulomb energy at low concentration of carriers. Generation of these objects should form a sequence of pi-phase slips in accordance with experimental doubling of phase-slips rate. Next, we revise the commonly employed TDGL approach which is shown to suffer from a violation of the charge conservation law resulting in nonphysical generation of particles which is particularly pronounced for electronic vortices in the course of their nucleation or motion. The suggested consistent theory exploits the chiral transformations taking into account the principle contribution of the fermionic chiral anomaly to the effective action. The derived equations clarify partitions of charges,currents and rigidity among subsystems of the condensate and normal carriers and the gluing electric field. Being non-analytical with respect to the order parameter, contrarily the conventional TDGL type, the resulting equations still allow for a numerical modeling of transient processes related to space- and spatio-temporal vorticity in DWs., arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1807.05512

We present a general scheme to approach the space - time evolution of deformations, currents, and the electric field in charge density waves related to appearance of intrinsic topological defects: dislocations, their loops or pairs, and solitons. We derive general equations for the multi-fluid hydrodynamics taking into account the collective mode, electric field, normal electrons, and the intrinsic defects. These equations may allow to study the transformation of injected carriers from normal electrons to new periods of the charge density wave, the collective motion in constrained geometry, and the plastic states and flows. As an application, we present analytical and numerical solutions for distributions of fields around an isolated dislocation line in the regime of nonlinear screening by the gas of phase solitons.

The fundamental idea that the constituents of interacting many body systems in complex quantum materials may self-organise into long range order under highly non-equilibrium conditions leads to the notion that entirely new and unexpected functionalities might be artificially created. However, demonstrating new emergent order in highly non-equilibrium transitions has proven surprisingly difficult. In spite of huge recent advances in experimental ultrafast time-resolved techniques, methods that average over successive transition outcomes have so far proved incapable of elucidating the emerging spatial structure. Here, using scanning tunneling microscopy, we report for the first time the charge order emerging after a single transition outcome in a prototypical two-dimensional dichalcogenide 1T-TaS$_2$ initiated by a single optical pulse. By mapping the vector field of charge displacements of the emergent state, we find surprisingly intricate, long-range, topologically non-trivial charge order in which chiral domain tiling is intertwined with unique unpaired dislocations which play a crucial role in enhancing the emergent states remarkable stability. The discovery of the principles that lead to metastability in charge-ordered systems open the way to designing novel emergent functionalities, particularly ultrafast all-electronic non-volatile cryo-memories., preprint version of the paper published in npj Quantum Materials

The functionality of computer memory elements is currently based on multi-stability, driven either by locally manipulating the density of electrons in transistors or by switching magnetic or ferroelectric order. Another possibility is switching between metallic and insulating phases by the motion of ions, but their speed is limited by slow nucleation and inhomogeneous percolative growth. Here we demonstrate fast resistance switching in a charge density wave system caused by pulsed current injection. As a charge pulse travels through the material, it converts a commensurately ordered polaronic Mott insulating state in 1T–TaS2 to a metastable electronic state with textured domain walls, accompanied with a conversion of polarons to band states, and concurrent rapid switching from an insulator to a metal. The large resistance change, high switching speed (30 ps) and ultralow energy per bit opens the way to new concepts in non-volatile memory devices manipulating all-electronic states., The control of a material's state via external stimuli is the basis of modern information storage technology. Here, the authors use pulsed currents to induce fast switching between Mott insulator and metallic states in the charge density wave system 1T-TaS2, presenting an all-electronic storage mechanism.

International audience; Many recent experiments addressed manifestations of electronic crystals, particularly the charge density waves, in nano-junctions, under electric field effect, at high magnetic fields, together with real space visualizations by STM and micro X-ray diffraction. This activity returns the interest to stationary or transient states with static and dynamic topologically nontrivial configurations: electronic vortices as dislocations, instantons as phase slip centers, and ensembles of microscopic solitons. Describing and modeling these states and processes calls for an efficient phenomenological theory which should take into account the degenerate order parameter, various kinds of normal carriers and the electric field. Here we notice that the commonly employed time-depend Ginzburg–Landau approach suffers with violation of the charge conservation law resulting in unphysical generation of particles which is particularly strong for nucleating or moving electronic vortices. We present a consistent theory which exploits the chiral transformations taking into account the principle contribution of the fermionic chiral anomaly to the effective action. The resulting equations clarify partitions of charges, currents and rigidity among subsystems of the condensate and normal carriers. On this basis we perform the numerical modeling of a spontaneously generated coherent sequence of phase slips – the spacetime vortices – serving for the conversion among the injected normal current and the collective one.

Most common types of symmetry breaking in quasi-one-dimensional electronic systems possess a combined manifold of states degenerate with respect to both the phase $\ensuremath{\theta}$ and the amplitude $A$ sign of the order parameter $Aexp(i\ensuremath{\theta})$. These degrees of freedom can be controlled or accessed independently via either the spin polarization or the charge densities. To understand statistical properties and the phase diagram in the course of cooling under the controlled parameters, we present here an analytical treatment supported by Monte Carlo simulations for a generic coarse-grained two-field model of $XY$-Ising type. The degeneracies give rise to two coexisting types of topologically nontrivial configurations: phase vortices and amplitude kinks, i.e., the solitons. In two- and three-dimensional states with long-range (or Berezinskii---Kosterlitz---Thouless--type) orders, the topological confinement sets in at a temperature $T={T}_{1}$ which binds together the kinks and unusual half-integer vortices. At a lower $T={T}_{2}$, the solitons start to aggregate into walls formed as rods of amplitude kinks which are ultimately terminated by half-integer vortices. With lowering $T$, the walls multiply, passing sequentially across the sample. The presented results indicate a possible physical realization of a peculiar system of half-integer vortices with rods of amplitude kinks connecting their cores. Its experimental realization becomes feasible in view of recent successes in real-space observations and even manipulations of domain walls in correlated electronic systems.

Condensed matter physics: dynamical quantized state forms from compensated currents A dynamical quantum Hall state followed by a sequence of phase slips emerges in a micro-sized Hall bar made of NbSe3 by applying transverse electric current and magnetic field. An international team led by Alexander Sinchenko in Russia and Pierre Monceau in France performed experiments on Hall bars made of NbSe3 crystal in the charge density wave (CDW) state. They expose the Hall bars to a magnetic field perpendicular to the conducting plane, and a transverse electric current passing in-plane but orthogonal to the CDW direction. They show that the remnant normal carriers and the imposed transverse electric current work together to form a dynamical quantum Hall state. With increasing the transverse current, the Hall bars show coherent oscillations up to GHz range, resulting from the exact compensation of the pulsing collective current and the counter-current of normal electrons. The results provide a new tool in manipulating quantum materials.

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 stacking structure. We report on in-plane (IP) and out-of-plane (OP) resistance switching by current-pulse injection at low temperatures. Elucidating the controversial theoretical predictions, we also report on measurements of the anisotropy of the electrical resistivity "Equation missing""Equation missing"below room temperature. From the T-dependence of ρ⊥ and ρ||, we surmise that the resistivity is more consistent with collective motion than single particle diffusive or band-like transport. 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.

Ground-state reconstruction by creation of topological defects in junctions of charge density waves (CDWs) is a convenient playground for modern efforts of field-effect transformations in strongly correlated materials with spontaneous symmetry breakings. Being transient, this effect contributes also to another new science of pump-induced phase transitions. We present a dynamical model for behavior of the CDW in restricted geometries of junctions under an applied voltage or a passing current. The model takes into account multiple interacting fields: the amplitude and the phase of the CDW complex order parameter, distributions of the electric field, the density, and the current of various normal carriers. A particular challenge was to monitor the local conservation of the condensed and the normal charge densities. That was done easily invoking the chiral invariance and the associated anomaly, but prize is an unconventional Ginsburg-Landau-type theory which is not analytic with respect to the order parameter. The numerical modeling poses unusual difficulties but still can demonstrate that vortices are nucleated at the junction boundary when the voltage across, or the current through, exceed a threshold.

Experiments on optical and STM injection of carriers in layered $\mathrm{MX_2}$ materials revealed the formation of nanoscale patterns with networks and globules of domain walls. This is thought to be responsible for the metallization transition of the Mott insulator and for stabilization of a "hidden" state. In response, here we present studies of the classical charged lattice gas model emulating the superlattice of polarons ubiquitous to the material of choice $1T-\mathrm{TaS_2}$. The injection pulse was simulated by introducing a small random concentration of voids which subsequent evolution was followed by means of Monte Carlo cooling. Below the detected phase transition, the voids gradually coalesce into domain walls forming locally connected globules and then the global network leading to a mosaic fragmentation into domains with different degenerate ground states. The obtained patterns closely resemble the experimental STM visualizations. The surprising aggregation of charged voids is understood by fractionalization of their charges across the walls' lines., Comment: supplementary added

We suggest a phenomenological theory of dynamical phase transitions and the subsequent spaciotemporal evolution induced by a short optical pulse in a system which is already prone to a thermodynamic instability. We address the case of pumping to excitons whose density contributes additively to the thermodynamic order parameter like for charge-transfer excitons in electronic charge-ordering transitions. To describe both thermodynamic and dynamical effects on equal footing, we adopt for the phase transition a view of the ``excitonic insulator'' (EI) and suggest a formation of the macroscopic quantum state for the pumped excitons. The double nature of the ensemble of excitons leads to an intricate time evolution: the dynamical transition between number-preserved and phase-locked regimes, macroscopic quantum oscillations from interference between the Bose condensate of excitons, and the ground state of the EI. Modeling for an extended sample shows also stratification in domains of low and high densities which evolve through local dynamical phase transitions and a sequence of domain merges.

We report an investigation at the endpoint region of the spin density wave state in (TMTSF) 2 PF 6 where metal and superconductivity emerge. Thanks to resistivity measurements along the three main crystallographic directions, we are able to follow the texture in this phase coexistence regime. In this respect, superconductivity is used as a decoration technique of the metallic pattern. We show that metal (superconductivity) emerges first along the c ⁎ direction in a counterintuitive manner. Then metal (superconductivity) domains evolves from filaments along the c ⁎ axis towards slabs perpendicular to the a -axis which melt together in the homogeneous phase at high pressure. This evolution is compatible with the proposition of the formation of a soliton phase in the vicinity of the critical pressure of the (TMTSF) 2 PF 6 phase diagram.

We report on studies of stationary states and their transient dynamic for an incommensurate charge density wave (ICDW) in a restricted geometry of two spatial dimensions. The model takes into account multiple fields in mutual nonlinear interactions: the amplitude and the phase of the complex order parameter, and distributions of the electric and chemical potentials, of the density and the current of normal carriers. We observed spontaneous formation of vortices (the ICDW dislocations), and followed events of their creation and the subsequent evolution. The vortices appear when the voltage across, or the current through, the sample exceed a threshold. The number of vortices remnant in the reconstructed stationary state increases stepwise – in agreement with experiments, while a much greater number of vortices appears during the intermediate transient states. The vortex core concentrates the electric dipole leading to sharp drops of the electric and chemical potentials across the core. That can lead to enhanced inter-layer tunneling making the core to be a self-tuned microscopic tunneling junction. The results are applied to experiments on nano-fabricated mesa-junctions. They also appeal to modern efforts of the field-effect transformations in correlated electronic systems.

Charge density wave (CDW) under an applied electric field in constraint geometry experience stresses, which can easily exceed a plastic threshold. The stress is resolved by the ground state reconstruction which proceed via creation of topological defects like solitons and dislocations—the CDW vortices. These states can be observed experimentally either in average at macroscopic scales of X-ray and multijunction space resolved studies, at mesoscopic scales of coherent X-ray micro-diffraction and nano-junctions or individually as by the STM. Here, we report numerical modeling taking into account multiple fields in their mutual nonlinear interactions: the phase and the amplitude of the CDW order parameter, distributions of the electric field, of the density and the current of normal carriers. Following events of creation and the subsequent evolution of dislocations, we find that vortices are formed in the junction when the voltage across, or the current through, exceed a threshold. The number of vortices remnant in the reconstructed ground state increases stepwise—in agreement with experiments. The vortex core concentrates the voltage drop across the junction giving rise to observed peaks of the interlayer tunneling. The studied reconstruction in junctions of CDWs may be relevant to modern efforts of the field-effect transformations in other correlated electronic systems.

We present results of non-linear magneto resistance (MR) of polyacetylene nanofibers in high magnetic field up to H = 30 T at low temperature T = 1.5 K. The MR was proven to be of the spin origin; it reaches 16% at highest H . Unexpectedly, the MR was suppressed by increasing electric field E , vanishing at E ≳ 5 × 10 4 V/cm. It is understood that the doping induced spinless charged soliton pairs, which are initially confined to a certain distance because of the interchain phase correlations, and are deconfined in high electric fields, resulting in a vanishing magneto resistance (VMR). The role of the specific, degenerate ground state of the polyacetylene is confirmed by parallel studies of the different magneto resistances of polyaniline nanofibers which contrarily is not affected by the electric field.

We consider effects of binding and self-trapping of particles added or excited over the insulating state of an antiferromagnetic Mott insulator. The state of an electron or a hole (as appears in ARPES), or of their bound pair (as appears in optics) can be modified by interactions with collective degrees of freedom—deformations of the lattice or of the spin environment. The resulting self-localized state lowers the total particle energy, enhances its effective mass and splits off the electronic level below the nominal insulating gap. We show theoretically that the effect is particularly pronounced for states near the antinodal (π, 0) type point of the Brillouin zone of the CuO2 because of proximity to the van Hove singularity. We study also the van Hove enhancements for bound states of the electron with neutral and charged impurities and for inter-gap excitons. The results are clearly important for undoped and electron-doped cuprates where the antinodal points correspond to the spectrum bottom for electrons. The effect is indirectly important for lightly hole-doped cuprates concerning the ARPES spectrum transfer between the nodal arcs and the dark antinodal regions.

We collect evidences on existence of microscopic solitons, and their determining role in electronic processes of quasi-1D conductors. The ferroelectric charge ordering gives access to several types of solitons in conductivity and permittivity, and to solitons' bound pairs in optics - both in insulating and conducting cases of TMTTF and TMTSF subfamilies. The excursion to physics of conjugated polymers allows to suggest further experiments. Internal tunnelling in Charge Density Waves goes through the channel of "amplitude solitons", which correspond to the long sought quasi-particle - the spinon. The same experiment gives an access to the reversible reconstruction of the junction via spontaneous creation of a lattice of 2Pi solitons - a grid of dislocations. The individual 2Pi solitons have been visually captured in recent STM experiments. Junctions of organic and oxide conductors are anticipated to show similar effects of reconstruction., Proceedings of ISCOM 2007, to be published in Solid State Sciences (2008)

We report on new hidden states of matter created under femtosecond timescale non-equilibrium conditions in dichalcogenides and complex oxides, focusing on their origin, optical and electronic control, relaxation mechanisms and applications leading to ultrafast optomemristors.

We consider a dynamical phase transition induced by a short optical pulse in a system prone to thermodynamical instability. We address the case of pumping to excitons whose density contributes directly to the order parameter. To describe both thermodynamic and dynamic effects on equal footing, we adopt a view of the excitonic insulator for the phase transition and suggest a formation of the Bose condensate for the pumped excitons. The work is motivated by experiments in donor–acceptor organic compounds with a neutral- ionic phase transition coupled to the spontaneous lattice dimerization and to charge transfer excitons. The double nature of the ensemble of excitons leads to an intricate time evolution, in particular, to macroscopic quantum oscillations from the interference between the Bose condensate of excitons and the ground state of the excitonic insulator. The coupling of excitons and the order parameter also leads to self-trapping of their wave function, akin to self-focusing in optics. The locally enhanced density of excitons can surpass a critical value to trigger the phase transformation, even if the mean density is below the required threshold. The system is stratified in domains that evolve through dynamical phase transitions and sequences of merging. The new circumstances in experiments and theory bring to life, once again, some remarkable inventions made by L.V. Keldysh.

We suggest a short review of literature on various solitonic lattices and individual solitons in quasi one-dimensional conductors. This information seems to be quite relevant to topics of stripes and their melted phases correspondingly. We shall quote also the latest experiments, which access solitons as elementary excitations in organic conductors and in charge density waves. We shall outline a theory for ordered phases, where solitons should acquire forms of combined topological configurations (kink-roton complexes). The extension of this picture to cuprates allows interpretation of the latest STM observations on local rod-like structures.

Revealing the relaxation mechanisms of hidden states in transition metal dichalcogenides leads to control of metastability., Controllable switching between metastable macroscopic quantum states under nonequilibrium conditions induced either by light or with an external electric field is rapidly becoming of great fundamental interest. We investigate the relaxation properties of a “hidden” (H) charge density wave (CDW) state in thin single crystals of the layered dichalcogenide 1T-TaS2, which can be reached by either a single 35-fs optical laser pulse or an ~30-ps electrical pulse. From measurements of the temperature dependence of the resistivity under different excitation conditions, we find that the metallic H state relaxes to the insulating Mott ground state through a sequence of intermediate metastable states via discrete jumps over a “Devil’s staircase.” In between the discrete steps, an underlying glassy relaxation process is observed, which arises because of reciprocal-space commensurability frustration between the CDW and the underlying lattice. We show that the metastable state relaxation rate may be externally stabilized by substrate strain, thus opening the way to the design of nonvolatile ultrafast high-temperature memory devices based on switching between CDW states with large intrinsic differences in electrical resistance.

A brief review of recent results on interlayer tunnelling spectroscopy of layered charge density wave (CDW) materials is presented, demonstrating the high capability of this method for studies of this electron condensed state. We discuss some features observed in comparison with high temperature superconductors (HTS).

A brief review of recent results on interlayer tunneling spectroscopy of layered high temperature superconductors (HTS) and charge density wave (CDW) materials is presented demonstrating high capability of this method for studies of both electron condensed states. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Victor Emery made seminal contributions to the theory of one-dimensional electronic systems and to its applications to organic metals. His inventions became illuminated recently when the joint effect of the ferroelectricity and the charge disproportionation has been discovered in (TMTTF)2X compounds and beyond. Several of his contributions came to agenda at once: separate gaps in spin/charge channels and the route to solitons, 4kF anomaly, dimerization gap, role of ionic transitions. New phenomena unify an unusual variety of concepts: ferroelectricity of good conductors, structural instability towards Mott-Hubbard state, Wigner crystallization in a dense electronic system, ordered 4kF density wave, richness of physics of solitons, interplay of structural and electronic symmetries. The ferroelectric state gives rise to several types of solitons carrying the electron charge, a noninteger charge, spin or both the spin and the charge in special cases. They are clearly observed via conductivity, electric and magnetic susceptibilities. Solitons are challenging for optics where they already seem to determine the pseudogap in absorption. Various features also appear, or are expected, from collective electronic and coupled electron-phonon modes. The last topic, as well as some aspects of physics of solitons, recalls also the contributions of M.J. Rice. Moreover, the observation of Mott-Hubbard states refers to classical results of A.A. Ovchinnikov., To be published in Synthetic Metals: proceedings of ICSM-04, the session in memory of V.J. Emery, M.J. Rice and A.A. Ovchinnikov. More information is available via presentations deposited at http://ipnweb.in2p3.fr/~lptms/membres/brazov/seminars.html

Conducting polymers can be considered as one-dimensional semiconductors with features of strongly correlated electronic systems. We can distinguish a large distance motion, governed by long range Coulomb interactions, and intra-molecular electronic correlations. We exploit the dielectric screening to go beyond the single chain picture and to compare excitons for polymers in solutions and in films. Our approach allows to connect such different questions as shallow singlet and deep triplet excitons in phenylenes, A g – B u exciton levels crossing in polyenes, common 1/ N energy dependencies in oligomers. For the fundamental edge structure we describe the suppression of DOS singularity by the long range Coulomb interactions in final state of e–h pair.

Recently the ferroelectric anomaly (Nad, Monceau, et al) followed by the charge disproportionation (Brown, et al) have been discovered in (TMTTF)2X compounds. The corresponding theory of the combined Mott-Hubbard state describes both effects by interference of the build-in nonequivalence of bonds and the spontaneous one of sites. The state gives rise to three types of solitons: \pi solitons (holons) are observed via the activation energy \Delta in the conductivity $G$; noninteger \alpha solitons (the FE domain walls) provide the frequency dispersion of the ferroelectric response; combined spin-charge solitons determine G(T) below subsequent structural transitions of the tetramerisation. The photoconductivity gap 2\Delta is determined by creations of soliton - antisoliton pairs. The optical edge lies well below, given by the collective ferroelectric mode which coexists with the combined electron-phonon resonance and the phonon antiresonance. The charge disproportionation and the ferroelectricity can exist hiddenly even in the Se subfamily giving rise to the unexplained yet low frequency optical peak, the enhanced pseudogap and traces of phonons activation.

We review the solid state physics approach to electronic and optical properties of conducting polymers also with attempts to bring together languages of the solid state theory for polymers and the quantum chemistry of oligomers. We consider polymers as generic one-dimensional semiconductors with features of strongly correlated electronic systems. Our model combines the long range electron–hole Coulomb attraction with a specific effect of strong intra-monomer electronic correlations, which results in effective intra-monomer electron–hole repulsion. We explain, exploit and organize various experimental and numerical findings. For example we connect such different questions as shallow singlet and deep triplet excitons in phenylenes, A g –B u exciton levels crossing in polyenes, common 1/ N energy dependencies in oligomers.

The review is devoted to the theory of collective and it local pinning effects in various disordered non-linear driven systems. Although the emphasis is put on charge and spin density waves and magnetic domain walls, the theory has also applications to flux lines and lattices thereof, dislocation lines, adsorbed mono-layers and related systems. In the first part we focus on the theory of the collective pinning which includes the equilibrium properties of elastic systems with frozen-in disorder as well as the features close to the dynamic depinning transition enforced by an external driving force and at finite temperatures. Thermal fluctuations smear out this transition and allow for a creep motion of the elastic objects even at small forces. An ac-driving force also destroys the sharp transition which is replaced by a velocity hysteresis. The second part is devoted to the local pinning picture and its applications. Inclusion of plastic deformations results in a rich cross-over behavior of the force-velocity relation as well as of the frequency dependence of the dynamic response. The local pinning recovers and exploits new elements of the energy landscape such as termination points of metastable branches or irreversibility of other ones related to generation of topological defects in the course of sliding. It also gives access to the quantum creep described as a tunneling between retarded and advanced configurations., 73 pages, 29 figures; Advances in Physics 2004 (in press)

We consider pseudogap effects for electrons interacting with gapless modes. We study generic 1D semiconductors with acoustic phonons and incommensurate charge density waves. We calculate the subgap absorption as it can be observed by means of photoelectron or tunneling spectroscopy. Within the formalism of functional integration and adiabatic approximation, the probabilities are described by nonlinear configurations of an instanton type. Particularities of both cases are determined by the topological nature of stationary excited states (acoustic polarons or amplitude solitons) and by the presence of gapless phonons that change the usual dynamics to the quantum dissipation regime. Below the free-particle edge, the pseudogap starts with an exponential (stretched exponential for gapful phonons) decrease of the transition rates. Deeply within the pseudogap, they are dominated by a power law, in contrast to a nearly exponential law for gapful modes.

The quasi one-dimensional organic conductor (TMTTF)2AsF6 shows the charge ordering transition at Tc101K to a state of the ferroelectric Mott insulator which is still well conducting. We present and interpret the experimental data on the gigantic dielectric response in the vicinity of TCO, concentrating on the frequency dependence of the inverse $1/\epsilon$ of the complex permittivity $\epsilon=\epsilon^\prime+i\epsilon^{\prime\prime}$. Surprisingly for a ferroelectric, we could closely approach the 2nd order phase transition and to deeply reach the critical dynamics of the polarization. We could analyse the critical slowing-down when approaching Tc from both sides and to extract the anomalous power law for the frequency dependence of the order parameter viscosity. Moreover, below Tc we could extract a sharp absorption feature coming from a motion of domain walls which shows up at a frequency well below the relaxation rate., Comment: Proceedings of the international school-workshop on Electronic Crystals: ECRYS-2014, Physica B (2014)

We derive and study equations for dissipative transient processes in a constraint incommensurate charge density wave (CDW) with remnant pockets or a thermal population of normal carriers. The attention was paid to give the correct conservation of condensed and normal electrons, which was problematic at presence of moving dislocation cores if working within an intuitive Ginzburg-Landau like model. We performed a numeric modelling for stationary and transient states in a rectangular geometry when the voltage V or the normal current are applied across the conducting chains. We observe creation of an array of electronic vortices, the dislocations, at or close to the junction surface; their number increases stepwise with increasing V. The dislocation core strongly concentrates the normal carriers but the CDW phase distortions almost neutralize the total charge. At other regimes, the lines of the zero CDW amplitude flash across the sample working as phase slips. The studies were inspired by, and can be applied to experiments on mesa-junctions in NbSe3 and TaS3 (Yu.I. Latyshev et al in proceedings of ECRYS 2008 and 2011)., Comment: "Special Issue on the International Workshop on Electronic Crystals (ECRYS-2014)", Physica B (2015)

We review existing manifestations and prospects for ferroelectricity in electronically and optically active carbon-based materials. The focus point is the proposal for the electronic ferroelectricity in conjugated polymers from the family of substituted polyacetylenes. The attractive feature of synthetic organic ferroelectrics is a very high polarizability coming from redistribution of the electronic density, rather than from conventional displacements of ions. Next fortunate peculiarity is the symmetry determined predictable design of perspective materials. The macroscopic electric polarization follows ultimately from combination of two types of a microscopic symmetry breaking which are ubiquitous to qusi-1D electronic systems. The state supports anomalous quasi-particles - microscopic solitons, carrying non-integer electric charges, which here play the role of nano-scale nucleus of ferroelectric domain walls. Their spectroscopic features in optics can interfere with low-frequency ferroelectric repolarization providing new accesses and applications. In addition to already existing electronic ferroelectricity in organic crystals and donor-acceptor chains, we point to a class of conducting polymers and may be also to nano-ribbons of the graphene where such a state can be found. These proposals may lead to potential applications in modern intensive searches of carbon ferroelectrics., Comment: To be published in the Int. J. of Synthetic Metals, March 2016; the special issue in honor of Yung Woo Park

International audience; We have performed scanning tunneling microscopy experiments in the quasi-one dimensional charge density wave (CDW) system NbSe3, where we could image and study in detail individual solitons corresponding to the self-trapping of a single electron. Our analysis shows that the type of soliton we observed is an ``Amplitude Soliton'', characterized by a vanishing CDW amplitude at the soliton center and by a pi-shift of its phase along the chain direction. Pairs of solitons or multiple solitons were also observed. Such observations could be made only in the high-temperature COW phase. Additionally, one-dimensional Friedel oscillations around charged defects could also be imaged and are found to be superimposed to the COW. The distinction between amplitude solitons and Friedel oscillations can be made without any ambiguity. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

We describe effects of the long-range Coulomb interactions on absorption and photoconductivity of polymeric semiconductors. The final-state interaction suppresses the 1D edge singularity of band-to-band transitions, reducing it to the final value. This value meets the averaged subgap absorption through the high excitonic series below the gap. After a dip, the absorption increases at the primary exciton peak. At moderately strong electric fields, higher excited states are destroyed, while the primary one is preserved. Our results explain the rounding of the e–h absorption edge observed in various polymeric semiconductors. Moreover, they quantitatively agree with new photoconductivity data on PPV-type polymers where new spectral features appear under electric field.

Phase transitions induced by short optical pulses is a new mainstream in studies of cooperative electronic states. Its special realization in systems with neutral-ionic transformations stands out in a way that the optical pumping goes to excitons rather than to electronic bands. We present a semi-phenomenological modeling of spacio-temporal effects applicable to any system where the optical excitons are coupled to a symmetry breaking order parameter. In our scenario, after a short initial pulse of photons, a quasi-condensate of excitons appears as a macroscopic quantum state which then evolves interacting with other degrees of freedom prone to instability. This coupling leads to self-trapping of excitons; that locally enhances their density which can surpass a critical value to trigger the phase transformation, even if the mean density is below the required threshold. The system is stratified in domains which evolve through dynamical phase transitions and may persist even after the initiating excitons have recombined. We recover dynamic interplays of fields such as the excitons wave function, electronic charge transfer and polarization, lattice deformations., Comment: Proceedings of international school-conference on electronic crystals: ECRYS-2014

We suggest a theory for a deformable and sliding charge density wave (CDW) in the Hall bar geometry for the quantum limit when the carriers in remnant small pockets are concentrated at lowest Landau levels (LL) forming a fractionally ($��, After International School - Workshop on Electronic Crystals: ECRYS-2014

Exposing a Hidden State Shining intense laser light on a material can temporarily alter its properties. The effect usually subsides after a few picoseconds, unless the system is trapped in a metastable state, in which case the transient period may last as long as microseconds. Stojchevska et al. (p. 177 ) observed that, following exposure to a 35-femtosecond laser pulse, the layered dichalcogenide 1T -TaS 2 entered a stable “hidden” state not present in the equilibrium phase diagram and stayed there indefinitely. The switch to the hidden state could be reversed by heat or a train of laser pulses. Because the switch alters the sample's conducting properties, the phenomenon might also lead to practical applications.

We review approach of the solid state physics to the electronic and optical properties of conducting polymers. We consider their generic features as 1D semiconductors as well as the particularities of the phenyl group. We are taking efforts to bring together the solid state theory for polymers and the quantum chemistry of oligomers.

International audience; Using high-resolution X-ray scattering techniques, we measure the variation, q(x), of the position in reciprocal space of the CDW satellite, in the sliding state, along the length of NbSe_3 whiskers. We show that structural defects and intentionally X-ray radiation-damaged regions increase locally the CDW pinning force, and induce CDW phase distortions which are consistent with those observed near contacts. Using the semi-microscopic model from Brazovskii describing the normal-condensed carrier conversion, with spatially varying parameters, we account for the experimental spatial dependence of the CDW phase gradient near both types of defects.

The phase gradient in a sliding-charge density wave (CDW), which is observable as a longitudinal shift, q ∝∂ φ /∂ x , of the CDW satellite peak position, is due to the conversion free-electrons↔CDW-condensate, at the current electrodes. Using high resolution X-ray scattering techniques and time-resolved techniques, we monitor, on thin NbSe 3 whiskers, the shift, q ( x ), and its relaxation, q ( t ), upon switching off the current.

We present experimental evidence and a corresponding theory for the ferroelectric transition in the family of quasi-one-dimensional conductors $(\mathrm{TMTTF}{)}_{2}X$. We interpret this new transition in the frame of the combined Mott-Hubbard state taking into account the double action of the spontaneous charge disproportionation on the TMTTF molecular stacks and of the $X$ anionic potentials.

We report on a new optical approach to study the far-from-equilibrium evolution of the electronic charge ordering after a quench caused by an intense laser pulse. The new multi-pulse spectroscopy technique with a femtosecond resolution allowed us to simultaneously monitor bosonic and fermionic components, coherent aperiodic undulations of the order parameter, critical slowing down of the collective mode (akin to the Higgs boson), and evolution of the particle-hole gap, which is due to the Peierls–BCS mechanism (akin to the Higgs one). The numerical modeling succeeded reproducing the observations with no fitting parameters, particularly the spatio-temporal distortions caused by Higgs-wave-like disturbances arising from annihilation of topological defects inside the sample.

We present an x-ray diffraction study of the vanadium-doped blue bronze ${\mathrm{K}}_{0.3}({\mathrm{Mo}}_{0.972}{\mathrm{V}}_{0.028}){\mathrm{O}}_{3}.$ At low temperature, we have observed both an intensity asymmetry of the $\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}{2k}_{F}$ satellite reflections relative to the pure compound, and a profile asymmetry of each satellite reflections. We show that the profile asymmetry is due to Friedel oscillation around the V substituant and that the intensity asymmetry is related to the charge-density-wave (CDW) pinning. These two effects, intensity, and profile asymmetries, give access to the local properties of CDW in disordered systems, including the pinning and even the phase shift of Friedel oscillations.

Phase slippage is required at the current electrodes of quasi-one-dimensional conductors with a charge density wave (CDW) ground state for the conversion from free to condensed carriers. We have performed at the ESRF high-resolution X-ray measurements of the spatially varying shift q(x) of the CDW satellite wave vector between current contacts on a thin NbSe 3 whisker in the sliding state. Applying direct currents, we observe at 90 K a steep exponential decrease of the shift within a few hundred microns from the contact. The CDW strain pro"le q(x )r e#ects the carrier conversion process, via nucleation and growth of phase-dislocation loops. Pulsed current measurements of the shift q show important di!erences between pulsed and dc current data, revealing a spatially dependent relaxational behaviour of the CDW strain. Using time-resolved high spatial resolution X-ray we observe at 300 lm from the electrode a stretched exponential-type decay of the shift q(t) upon switching o! the current („"75 K): q(t)"q 0 [exp(!t/q)k] with q"23 ms and k"0.36. ( 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Ferroelectricity is one of the demanded effects in fundamental and applied solid state physics. Till now, the ferroelectrics were available mostly in the inorganic world. The breakthrough of 2000s was an unexpected discovery of the ferroelectricity related to the charge ordering in quasi-1D organic conductors (TMTTF)2X, and in some layered compounds. The achieved understanding of underlying mechanisms allows to speculate on synthesis of a would-be ferroelectric polymer: it must possess a combination of dimerizations of sites and bonds, one of which must be build-in and another spontaneous. The theory of these “combined Peierls states” predicts an existence of solitons (dimerization kinks) with non-integer variable charges—they are the walls separating domains with opposite electric polarization. The physics of these exotic solitons will serve to describe transient processes in ferroelectric polymers, linking optical- and low-frequency properties. The promising example of such an (AB)x conjugated polymer has already appeared but was not yet tested for ferroelectricity. A wide chemical search is necessary because of a problematic competition of an anti-ferroelectric phase, whose occurrence depends on complicated details of the interchain coupling.