Renormalization of elastic quadrupoles in amorphous solids

TL;DR

This paper models amorphous solid plasticity using elastic continuum with quadrupolar defects, revealing a spinodal-type yielding/melting transition through renormalization group and field-theoretic analysis.

Contribution

It introduces a novel analytical framework for understanding amorphous solid failure via elastic continuum with quadrupolar defects, identifying a spinodal transition.

Findings

Identifies a yielding/melting transition of spinodal type.

Uses renormalization group and field theory techniques.

Provides insight into failure mechanisms in amorphous solids.

Abstract

Plasticity in amorphous solids is mediated by localized quadrupolar instabilities, but the mechanism by which an amorphous solid eventually fails or melts is debated. In this work we argue that these phenomena can be investigated in the model problem of an elastic continuum with quadrupolar defects, at finite temperature. This problem is posed and the collective behavior of the defects is analytically investigated. Using both renormalization group and field-theoretic techniques, it is found that the model has a yielding/melting transition of spinodal type.