Observation of multiple metastable states induced by electric pulses in the hysteresis temperature range of 1T−TaS2

The electric pulses induced responses of $1T\ensuremath{-}{\mathrm{TaS}}_{2}$ in the commensurate charge-density-wave phase in the hysteresis temperature region ($160\ensuremath{\sim}210$ K) have been investigated. We observed an abrupt jump of the resistance excited by pulse, followed by a slow relaxation process in a time scale of $\ensuremath{\sim}100$ s. At a fixed temperature, the various electric pulses can drive the system to multi metastable states. We propose that the spontaneous evolution or slow relaxation of the system by pulse excitations corresponds to the rearrangements of the textures of CCDW domains.