2010/12/21 by M. Lisa Manning, Andrea J. Liu
Physics and Astronomy · #cond-mat.soft
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.107.108302
4 pages, 4 figures
arxiv created 2010/12/21 · arxiv updated 2015/05/20
We analyze low-frequency vibrational modes in a two-dimensional, zero-temperature, quasistatically sheared model glass to identify a population of structural "soft spots" where particle rearrangements are initiated. The population of spots evolves slowly compared to the interval between particle rearrangements and the soft spots are structurally different from the rest of the system. Our results suggest that disordered solids flow via localized rearrangements that tend to occur at soft spots, which are analogous to dislocations in crystalline solids.