Evidence of Charge Density Wave transverse pinning by x-ray micro-diffraction

The collective current appearing in Charge Density Wave (CDW) systems is based on periodic nucleation of topological defects above an elastic-to-plastic transition threshold. In this letter we present the first 2D image of the deformation of a Charge Density Wave (CDW) under an applied electric field at the origin of this periodic nucleation. This map was obtained using X-ray micro-diffraction of a NbSe3 sample pre-patterned by a focused ion beam (FIB) submitted to several external currents. The CDW phase has been recovered using an analytical approach based on the spatial integration of the phase gradient. A continuous CDW transverse deformation is observed across a surface of a hundred microns size with micrometer resolution. This study highlights the prominent role of the shear effect due to pinning from lateral surfaces of the sample and reveals an impressive collective pinning, spreading over the whole macroscopic sample dimension despite the presence of strong defects. This 2D quantitative study of the CDW strain induced by electric fields highlights the need to consider the three dimensional deformation of the CDW phase for a global understanding of the collective current.