Lecturer:  Prof. Eran Bouchbinder from the Weizmann Institute.

Abstract:

Non-equilibrium dynamics and disorder are intertwined in a broad range of driven transitions in physics. In this talk, I will discuss two such transitions driven by mechanical and/or thermal forces. First, I will present a theory of the strain-stiffening phase transition in disordered biopolymer networks – such as skin and collagen-based connective tissues (e.g., cartilage) – that are initially soft and compliant, but stiffen dramatically under mechanical strain. The universality of the critical exponents with respect to shear/volumetric strains and network topology is demonstrated. Second, I will present a disordered Hamiltonian model of systems undergoing a glass transition during a quench, focusing on non-phononic degrees of freedom. The model predicts in a unified manner the universal quartic density of states of non-phononic, localized excitations in non-driven glasses, as well as the yielding transition and memory formation in cyclically driven glasses, in agreement with a broad range of observations.