NONEQUILIBRIUM DYNAMICS OF DISCRETE FLUCTUATORS IN CHARGE-DENSITY WAVES IN NBSE3

Individual two-state and multistate fluctuators were found in the broadband noise in the sliding charge-density-wave (CDW) state of small samples of NbSe3. In the presence of dc currents, some multistate fluctuators violate detailed balance. Fluctuator properties show strong dependences on bias. As the CDW is cycled from sliding to pinned and back, it usually remembers which state of the fluctuator it is in, but some finite transition rates are found in the pinned CDW. Similar fluctuators persist in the presence of high-frequency ac bias.