History-dependent relaxation and the energy scale of correlation in the Electron-Glass

Abstract

We present an experimental study of the energy-relaxation in Anderson-insulating indium-oxide films excited far from equilibrium. In particular, we focus on the effects of history on the relaxation of the excess conductance dG. The natural relaxation law of dG is logarithmic, namely dG=-log(t). This may be observed over more than five decades following, for example, cool-quenching the sample from high temperatures. On the other hand, when the system is excited from a state S_{o} in which it has not fully reached equilibrium to a state S_{n}, the ensuing relaxation law is logarithmic only over time t shorter than the time t_{w} it spent in S_{o}. For times t>t_{w} dG(t) show systematic deviation from the logarithmic dependence. It was previously shown that when the energy imparted to the system in the excitation process is small, this leads to dG=P(t/t_{w}) (simple-aging). Here we test the conjecture that `simple-aging' is related to a symmetry in the relaxation dynamics in S_{o} and S_{n}. This is done by using a new experimental procedure that is more sensitive to deviations in the relaxation dynamics. It is shown that simple-aging may still be obeyed (albeit with a modified P(t/t_{w})) even when the symmetry of relaxation in S_{o} and S_{n} is perturbed by a certain degree. The implications of these findings to the question of aging, and the energy scale associated with correlations are discussed.

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• Onset of Glassy Dynamics in a Two-Dimensional Electron System in Silicon
• Time Dependent Development of the Coulomb Gap
• Symmetrical field effect and slow electron relaxation in granular aluminium

Cited by in corpus (29)

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• Nonexponential Relaxations in a Two-Dimensional Electron System in Silicon
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• Huge (but finite) time scales in slow relaxations: beyond simple aging
• Manifestation of ageing in the low temperature conductance of disordered insulators
• The Electron-Glass in samples approaching the Mesoscopic regime
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• Memory Effects in the Electron Glass
• Determination of characteristic relaxation times and their significance in glassy disordered insulators
• A simple nonlinear equation for structural relaxation in glasses
• The Electron Glass in a Switchable Mirror: Relaxation, Aging and Universality
• 1/f noise and slow relaxations in glasses
• Non-Gaussian conductance noise in disordered electronic systems due to a non-linear mechanism
• Logarithmic relaxation and stress aging in the electron glass
• Optical excitation of Electron-Glasses
• Observation of thermally activated glassiness and memory dip in a-NbSi insulating thin films
• Screening the Coulomb interaction and thermalization of Anderson insulators
• Aging and memory in a two-dimensional electron system in Si
• Universal frequency-dependent conduction of electron glasses
• The effect of screening on the relaxation dynamics in the Coulomb glass
• Ageing and relaxation times in disordered insulators
• Sub-electron Charge Relaxation via 2D Hopping Conductors
• Ageing in granular aluminium insulating thin films