Exploring the connections between yielding and microscopic irreversibility in athermal amorphous rafts

Abstract

This thesis consists of three chapters. First chapter gives an introduction to structural glasses and sheared glasses. We have also motivated our work with experimental and numerical studied on amorphous systeM.S.. Chapter two has description of homemade experimental setup for carrying out our experiments on bubble rafts. In chapter three, we have shown that binary amorphous rafts show yielding. We have connected this yielding behaviour to non-a ne microscopic events called T1 events. Temporal evolution of these non-a ne events is studied and observed to saturate to a steady state value which is dependent on the applied strain amplitude. These steady stare value which is dependent on applied strain amplitude serves an an order parameter and a relaxation time obtained from the temporal evolution of number of non-a ne events characterise an absorbing phase transition at a critical strain associated with yielding in our system. Interestingly, with in the experimental certainty, we have observed a roughening transition at a critical strain which coincides with the yielding. This thesis consists of three chapters. First chapter gives an introduction to structural glasses and sheared glasses. We have also motivated our work with experimental and numerical studied on amorphous systeM.S.. Chapter two has description of homemade experimental setup for carrying out our experiments on bubble rafts. In chapter three, we have shown that binary amorphous rafts show yielding. We have connected this yielding behaviour to non-a ne microscopic events called T1 events. Temporal evolution of these nona ne events is studied and observed to saturate to a steady state value which is dependent on the applied strain amplitude. These steady stare value which is dependent on applied strain amplitude serves an an order parameter and a relaxation time obtained from the temporal evolution of number of non-a ne events characterise an absorbing phase transition at a critical strain associated with yielding in our system. Interestingly, with in the experimental certainty, we have observed a roughening transition at a critical strain which coincides with the yielding.