| الوصف: |
In physics, the term ‘solid’ is frequently associated with crystals, despite the fact that there is a vast number of solid structures that are not crystalline, such as amorphous or glassy solids. Due to their periodic structures and long-range order, even complex crystalline structures can be studied with the help of mathematical tools such as Bloch states, Brillouin zones, k-space, etc. Glassy solids, on the other hand, do not offer any mitigating circumstances with respect to their theoretical treatment due to their lack of long-range order and low predictability of internal structure. Nevertheless, glassy materials can be studied experimentally, theoretically, and by using computer simulations. In this thesis, we firstly study the properties of glasses close to the yielding transition. The yielding transition occurs as the amorphous solid is irreversibly deformed beyond its elastic limit. Though extensively studied, this transition is still not well understood. We take a look at this elusive phenomenon at a micro-mechanical level and develop an approach that has embedded within it the very carriers of plasticity that are responsible for it. Secondly, we explore the free energy in the hard sphere model and its experimental equivalent-colloidal glass. Specifically, we aim to establish local-particle level-free energy as a bridge between micro-structure and glassy dynamics. |
