Critical Dynamics of the Quasi-One-Dimensional Blue Bronze K _0.3 MoO ₃ at Low Temperatures

Abstract

The electric behaviour of the quasi-one-dimensional charge density wave (CDW) compound K0,Jfo03 is investigated at liquid-helium temperatures. At a threshold voltage, an abrupt increase in the conductivity takes place. The onset of this transition in conductivity is marked by a hysteresis. In the low-conducting branch of this hysteresis an intermittently spiking current signal in time domain has been found. l/f" noise and a power law scaling of the firing and waiting times as well as for spike sizes are characteristic for this critical dynamics. The results indicate critical behaviour which is self-organized.