Charge transfer mechanism in nonstationary granular systems

We consider a nonstationary array of conductors, connected by resistances that fluctuate with time. The charge transfer between a particular pair of conductors is supposed to be dominated by electrical breakdowns—the moments when the corresponding resistance is close to zero. An amount of charge, transferred during a particular breakdown, is controlled by the condition of minimum for the electrostatic energy of the system. We find the conductivity, relaxation rate, and fluctuations for such a system within the classical approximation, valid, if the typical transferred charge is large compared to e . We discuss possible realizations of the model for colloidal systems and arrays of polymer-linked grains.