Universal description of viscoelasticity with foliation preserving diffeomorphisms

TL;DR

This paper proposes a universal framework for describing viscoelastic systems using foliation preserving diffeomorphisms, which unify elastic and fluid behaviors through a symmetry-based approach.

Contribution

It introduces foliation preserving diffeomorphisms as a symmetry that captures the dynamics of viscoelasticity with a single relaxation time, bridging elasticity and fluidity.

Findings

Symmetry determines first-order strain dynamics.

Framework applies to generic single-component viscoelastic systems.

Unifies elastic and fluid behaviors through a common symmetry.

Abstract

We review our recent proposal for a universal description of generic single-component viscoelastic systems with a single relaxation time. Foliation preserving diffeomorphisms are introduced as an underlying symmetry which naturally interpolates between the two extreme characters of elasticity and fluidity. The symmetry is found to be powerful enough to determine the dynamics in the first order of strains.