Apparent hysteresis in a driven system with self-organized drag

TL;DR

This paper investigates the hysteresis phenomenon in the driven motion of extended defects influenced by self-organized impurities, using simulations and bifurcation analysis to understand transition regimes and switching dynamics.

Contribution

It introduces a combined simulation and coarse-graining approach to map hysteresis behavior and bifurcation diagrams in defect-impurity systems.

Findings

Hysteresis depends on initial conditions and parameters.

Bifurcation diagrams reveal stable and unstable motion regimes.

Switching times determine observability of hysteresis.

Abstract

Interaction between extended defects and impurities lies at the heart of many physical phenomena in materials science. Here we revisit the ubiquitous problem of the driven motion of an extended defect in a field of mobile impurities, which self-organize to cause drag on the defect. Under a wide range of external conditions (e.g. drive), the defect undergoes a transition from slow to fast motion. This transition is commonly hysteretic: the defect either moves slow or fast, depending on the initial condition. We explore such hysteresis via a kinetic Monte Carlo spin simulation combined with computational coarse-graining. Obtaining bifurcation diagrams (stable and unstable branches), we map behavior regimes in parameter space. Estimating fast-slow switching times, we determine whether a simulation or experiment will exhibit hysteresis depending on observation conditions. We believe our approach is applicable to quantifying hysteresis in a wide range of physical contexts.