Voltage regulators

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a voltage regulator, comprising:

an object formed of a quasi-1D crystalline material, the material being capable of supporting a free sliding density wave state;

first and second input terminals connected to apply a voltage across a first portion of the object;

first and second output terminals connected across a second portion of the object; and

a multiple position switch having a single input and M selectable outputs, the single input being connected to one of the input terminals and the M outputs being connected to M corresponding tap contacts distributed along the object; and

wherein M is greater than 1.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , comprising:

a voltage source connected across the input terminals; and

wherein the voltage source is capable of producing an electric field that switches the second portion of the object from an insulating state to a conducting state.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the voltage source is able to produce a first value of an electric field in the quasi-1D crystalline material, the first value corresponding to a point of a current-electric field characteristic of the quasi-1D crystalline material whose local slope is larger by a factor of at least ten than the local slope of the characteristic corresponding to a second value of the electric field, the first value having a magnitude that is between 2 and 10 times larger than a magnitude of the second value.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the first value corresponds to a local slope of the characteristic that is larger by a factor of at least thirty than the local slope of the characteristic corresponding to the second value.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the quasi-1D crystalline material has its 1 D anisotropy direction substantially oriented along a direction of current flow between the input terminals.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the quasi-1D crystalline material is a doped cuprate ladder compound.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the quasi-1D crystalline material includes one of Sr 14 Cu 24 O 41 and Sr 14-x Ca x Cu 24 O 41 .

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the quasi-1D crystalline material has a “c” crystalline axis oriented approximately along a direction of current flow between the input terminals.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the crystalline material has a density wave state with a melting temperature that is higher than room temperature.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

a voltage regulator, comprising:

an object formed of a quasi-1D crystalline material, the material being capable of supporting a free sliding density wave state;

first and second input terminals connected to apply a voltage across a first portion of the object;

first and second output terminals connected across a second portion of the object; and

a moveable contact capable of being displaced between first and second positions, the contact configured to apply a portion of an input voltage across different first portions of the object in response to being at the respective first and second positions.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising:

a voltage source connected across the input terminals; and

wherein the voltage source is capable of producing an electric field that switches the second portion of the object from an insulating state to a conducting state.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the voltage source is able to produce a first value of an electric field in the quasi-1D crystalline material, the first value corresponding to a point of a current-electric field characteristic of the quasi-1D crystalline material whose local slope is larger by a factor of at least ten than the local slope of the characteristic corresponding to a second value of the electric field, the first value having a magnitude that is between 2 and 10 times larger than a magnitude of the second value.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the first value corresponds to a local slope of the characteristic that is larger by a factor of at least thirty than the local slope of the characteristic corresponding to the second value.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the quasi-1D crystalline material has its 1D anisotropy direction substantially oriented along a direction of current flow between the input terminals.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the quasi-1D crystalline material has a “c” crystalline axis oriented approximately along a direction of current flow between the input terminals.

16. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the quasi-1D crystalline material is a doped cuprate ladder compound.

17. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the quasi-1D crystalline material includes one of Sr 14 Cu 24 O 41 and Sr 14-x Ca x Cu 24 O 41 .

18. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the crystalline material has a density wave state with a melting temperature that is higher than room temperature.