Effect of Local Inhomogeneity on Nucleation; Case of Charge Density Wave Depinning

Abstract

The spatial inhomogeneities are expected to affect nucleation process in an essential way. These effects are studied theoretically by considering the case of the depinning of the charge density wave as a typical example. The threshold field of the depinning of the one-dimensional commensurate charge density wave with one impurity has been examined classically based on the phase Hamiltonian at absolute zero. It is found that the threshold field is lowered by a finite amount compared to that in the absence of an impurity.