Encoding Robust and Fast Memories in Bulk and Nanoscale Amorphous Solids

TL;DR

This paper presents methods to encode and retrieve robust, fast memories in amorphous solids at both bulk and nanoscale, highlighting size effects and practical protocols for amorphous materials.

Contribution

It introduces new protocols for encoding and reading memories in amorphous solids, including nano-rod systems, emphasizing robustness and speed across different sizes.

Findings

Memory encoding is faster in small systems.

Memory robustness is enhanced with specific shear protocols.

Memory encoding in large systems is likely impossible.

Abstract

We investigate the memory effects under oscillatory shear deformation of amorphous solids through computer simulations. Applications of shear deformations in all orthogonal directions show that encoded memories via this protocol are more robust while performing reading. Our extensive system size analysis of memory effects shows that memory encoding in small systems is faster than in larger systems and is probably impossible in thermodynamically large system sizes. In addition to demonstrating how to encode robust memories in 3D bulk amorphous materials, we devise protocols for encoding and reading memories in pseudo-1D materials in the form of amorphous nano-rods. With this, we show that memory encoding and retrieving can also be done in systems with open surfaces, which all materials would necessarily have in practice, and is thus essential to capitalise on the effectiveness of smaller system sizes to encode memories faster. All in all, we provide protocols for encoding robust and faster memories in amorphous solids both at bulk and nanoscale.