Defects in solids:From the dislocation to topological vortex
In solid state physics and materials science,the subject of how solids flow and deform has historically been of great interest.The essence of the proverb"The mountains flowed before the Lord"lies in the recognition that solid materials are inherently imperfect,in which of the defects dominating their rheological behaviors at the long-time scales.In a recent work,researchers combined theoretical topological analysis with cutting-edge simulation methods and finally confirmed the existence of topological defects in glasses and their crucial role for plasticity.This is the first time for the study of glass physics,people showing how the classical eigenmode geometry shapes the plastic behavior of amorphous materials.