  The dynamics of the charge-order domains has been investigated in
La$_{1.48}$Nd$_{0.4}$Sr$_{0.12}$CuO$_{4}$, a prototypical stripe-ordered
cuprate, using pulsed current injection. We first identify the regime in which
nonthermal effects dominate over simple Joule heating, and then demonstrate
that, for small enough perturbation, pulsed current injection allows access to
nonthermally-induced resistive metastable states. The results are consistent
with pinning of the fluctuating charge order, with fluctuations being most
pronounced at the charge-order onset temperature. The nonequilibrium effects
are revealed only when the transition is approached from the charge-ordered
phase. Our experiment establishes pulsed current injection as a viable and
effective method for probing the charge-order dynamics in various other
materials.
