Fermi surface
The electrical resistivity of most metallic compounds decrease as temperature decreases. For the most part NbSe3 follows this trend except two anomalies exist where electrical resistivity reaches two local maxima at and . The maxima result in a sharp decrease in electrical conductivity. This observation is explained by the charge density wave formations that open the gaps in the Fermi surface. The opening causes the 1-D linear system to behave more like a semiconductor and less like a metal, a transition commonly known as Peierls transition. NbSe3 continues to be metallic despite the Peierls transition because the charge density wave formation does not completely remove the Fermi surface, a phenomenon known as imperfect Fermi surface nesting.