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The Electron Glass in a Switchable Mirror: Relaxation, Aging and Universality

M. Lee·P. Oikonomou·P. Segalova·T. F. Rosenbaum·A. F. Th. Hoekstra·P. B. Littlewood
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Abstract

The rare earth hydride YH$_{3-δ}$ can be tuned through the metal-insulator transition both by changing $δ$ and by illumination with ultraviolet light. The transition is dominated by strong electron-electron interactions, with transport in the insulator sensitive to both a Coulomb gap and persistent quantum fluctuations. Via a systematic variation of UV illumination time, photon flux, Coulomb gap depth, and temperature, we demonstrate that polycrystalline YH$_{3-δ}$ serves as a model system for studying the properties of the interacting electron glass. Prominent among its features are logarithmic relaxation, aging, and universal scaling of the conductivity.

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M. Lee, P. Oikonomou, P. Segalova, T. F. Rosenbaum, A. F. Th. Hoekstra, P. B. Littlewood. 2005-01-12. The Electron Glass in a Switchable Mirror: Relaxation, Aging and Universality. https://doi.org/10.1088/0953-8984%2F17%2F43%2Fl02

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