Abstract
I summarize recent experiments on the linear chain compounds NbSe3 and TaS3. In both materials, the charge density wave (CDW) state is characterized by a field (E) and frequency (ω) dependent response and noise. The ω dependent response is that of a strongly damped oscillator, the E dependence is in agreement with models based on CDW tunneling. Scaling properties and ac-dc coupling experiments are also summarized, and a short comparison is given with the predictions of various models.