Leiterstrom

Leiterstrom is a term encountered in some German-language physics literature to describe a pattern of charge transport in which current preferentially follows ladder-like networks of conductive channels within a material. The term combines Leiter, meaning ladder or conductor, with Strom, meaning current. It is not a universally standardized concept and its meaning can vary between authors.

In the models that use Leiterstrom, the medium is represented as a two-dimensional or three-dimensional network composed of dense rails connected by transverse rungs. Under bias, charge carriers propagate along the rails and hop between rails via the rungs, creating a stepped, quasi-one-dimensional conduction path. This can emerge in highly anisotropic or disordered systems, such as textured oxide films, polymer blends, or engineered metamaterials with directed percolation pathways. The phenomenon is often discussed in connection with filamentary conduction and percolation.

Mathematically, Leiterstrom is described using resistor networks, coupled chain models, or percolation theory. Simulations reveal features such as anisotropic effective conductivity, history dependence, and the formation of stable current filaments along ladder paths. Experimental identification is challenging and typically inferred from anisotropic transport measurements and imaging of conductive pathways.

In ongoing discussions, Leiterstrom is treated as a conceptual framework for understanding how spatial inhomogeneity and directional constraints shape current flow. It is not a standard term in mainstream solid-state physics, and its use is largely confined to specific theoretical or interpretive contexts.