Dynamics of the Electro-Optic response of Blue Bronze

Abstract

We have studied the charge density wave (CDW) repolarization dynamics in blue bronze by applying square-wave voltages of different frequencies to the sample and measuring the changes in infrared transmittance, proportional to CDW strain. The frequency dependence of the electro-transmittance was fit to a modified harmonic oscillator response and the evolution of the parameters as functions of voltage, position, and temperature are discussed. Resonant frequencies decrease with distance from the current contacts, indicating that the resulting delays are intrinsic to the CDW with the strain effectively flowing from the contact. For a fixed position, the average relaxation time has a voltage dependence given by tau_0~V^-p, with 1<p<2. The temperature dependence of the fitting parameters shows that the dynamics are governed by both the force on the CDW and the CDW current: for a given force and position, both the relaxation and delay times are inversely proportional to the CDW current as temperature is varied. The long relaxation and delay times (~ 1 ms) suggest that the strain response involves the motion of macroscopic objects, presumably CDW phase dislocation lines.