Macroscopic channel structures in alpha -LiIO/sub 3/

Many original and verifiable facts proving a strong influence of the macroscopic defects, especially the channel defects, on the physical properties of alpha -LiIO/sub 3/ are described. The experiments dealt with finding the extended defects in the original crystals and their visualization under the action of an electric field; with the patterns of the light scattered on them; with the appearance of strong conductivity anisotropy and transient currents owing to the defects; and with inhomogeneities in the form of faceted crystals, grown under the applied field. The results and those of other authors lead to the conclusion that there are no crystals which do not contain the channel current defects. >