Topological Defects in Amorphous Solids
Fuente:
arXiv
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2026
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1866914458004094976 |
|---|---|
| author | Baggioli, Matteo Falk, Michael L. Kob, Walter |
| author_facet | Baggioli, Matteo Falk, Michael L. Kob, Walter |
| contents | Topological defects (TDs) are crucial for understanding important physical properties of crystalline materials including mechanical failure, ion transport, and two-dimensional melting. This concept has not translated to disordered materials like glasses because these solids have no obvious reference structure that can be used to define TDs. As a result, key properties related to those listed above have typically been modeled using purely phenomenological approaches. Recent studies have demonstrated that certain observables commonly associated with TDs can also be identified in disordered solids indicating that topological concepts may be as crucial in amorphous solids as in crystals. This hints that TDs may offer a first-principles framework for understanding their mechanical response and complex spatiotemporal dynamics. In this Perspective, we review recent theoretical, numerical, and experimental studies that have exploited topological concepts to rationalize mechanical properties of amorphous solids. We also highlight pressing open questions and some promising directions for future research in the field. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_07061 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Topological Defects in Amorphous Solids Baggioli, Matteo Falk, Michael L. Kob, Walter Materials Science Disordered Systems and Neural Networks Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics Soft Condensed Matter Statistical Mechanics Topological defects (TDs) are crucial for understanding important physical properties of crystalline materials including mechanical failure, ion transport, and two-dimensional melting. This concept has not translated to disordered materials like glasses because these solids have no obvious reference structure that can be used to define TDs. As a result, key properties related to those listed above have typically been modeled using purely phenomenological approaches. Recent studies have demonstrated that certain observables commonly associated with TDs can also be identified in disordered solids indicating that topological concepts may be as crucial in amorphous solids as in crystals. This hints that TDs may offer a first-principles framework for understanding their mechanical response and complex spatiotemporal dynamics. In this Perspective, we review recent theoretical, numerical, and experimental studies that have exploited topological concepts to rationalize mechanical properties of amorphous solids. We also highlight pressing open questions and some promising directions for future research in the field. |
| title | Topological Defects in Amorphous Solids |
| topic | Materials Science Disordered Systems and Neural Networks Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics Soft Condensed Matter Statistical Mechanics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.07061 |