WEAK PINNING OF THE CHARGE-DENSITY-WAVE REVISITED

An overview of numerical simulation and experimental works that contra dict the Fukuyama-Lee-Rice (FLR) theory of weak pinning is presented. Within an alternative, analytic approach, we find a salomonic answer t o the problem of three-dimensional weak pinning: short- and large-scal e phase deformations coexist, but their role is different. The present results provide a unified picture of the CDW weakly pinned by impurit ies, and explain puzzling aspects of numerical simulations, disagreeme nt between previous theories and experiments, e. g. in the case of NbS e3, and the white line effect.