Quantum dynamics of nonequilibrium states in a charge density wave

The charge density wave (CDW) is known to carry electric current en masse, but the transport mechanism remains poorly understood at the microscopic level. Its quantum nature is revealed by several experiments, including h/2e Aharonov-Bohm oscillations in CDW conductance vs. magnetic flux in TaS3 rings. Here we discuss further evidence for quantum transport [1]. We find that, for temperatures ranging from 9 to 474 K, current-voltage plots of three trichalcogenide materials agree almost precisely with a modified Zener-tunneling curve and with time-correlated soliton tunneling model simulations. We treat the Schrödinger equation as an emergent classical equation that describes fluidic Josephson tunneling of paired electrons between emergent nonequilibrium states, such as fluidic soliton and anti-soliton domain walls. An extension of this ‘classically robust' quantum picture explains the h/2e magnetoconductance oscillations and switching behavior in CDW rings. We consider potential applications in quantum information processing.

[1] J. H. Miller, Jr., M. Y. Suarez Villagran, & J. O. Sanderson, https://arxiv.org/abs/2310.10512