Inadequacy of equivalent circuits in nonlinear systems with inherent memory

Basic multimode impedance analysis grounded in the availability of nonequilibrium charge carriers and their retarded path towards equilibrium is used to access the inadequacy of equivalent circuits in nonlinear systems with inherent memory. On the basic grounds of generation and recombination (or trapping) of nonequilibrium carriers and their relaxation times, we show how seeming complexity of frequency-dependent impedance that matches a vast universe of experimental evidences can be reduced to simple combinations of basic microscopic ingredients. Counterintuitive features such as a negative capacitances or unexpected inductances become a metaphoric construction with poor physical meaning, pointing to the limitations and ambiguities of the symbolic nature of “equivalent” circuits. Our approach further provides a microscopic perspective that exposes the linkage of an apparent flux with an apparent inductance dismissing any magnetic essence.