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Vibrational Modes and Particle Rearrangements in Sheared Quasi-Two-Dimensional Complex Plasmas
Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 135301 – Published 24 September, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/6bjy-m2j4
Abstract
In dense colloids and simulated glasses, it has been discovered that plastic particle rearrangements correlate with nonphononic low-frequency vibrational modes. Here, we demonstrate that this correlation also holds for a very different material class of complex plasmas under shear, characterized by long-range interactions and nonreciprocal forces. We perform experiments with a deformed amorphous quasi-two-dimensional binary complex plasma under optical pressure, which gives rise to a controlled shear rate, and confirm our findings with extensive particle-resolved computer simulations.
Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)
synopsis
Active Matter Breaks like an Amorphous Plastic
Shearing a dusty plasma with a laser shows how vibrational modes lead to weak points in an amorphous active system.
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