Abstract

Complex systems, including soft-materials, are characterized by an exponentially large number of metastable states routinely visited while the system is evolving towards thermodynamic equilibrium if prepared far from equilibrium. This process can extend on timescales much longer than the atomic/molecular motions ones, due to the large number of metastable states. As a result, the response features, like the relaxation time, depend on the specific instant (the waiting time t_w) and are determined by the current metastable state. This mechanism is known as “aging”.

© 2007 IEEE