Memory formation in matter

Memory formation in matter is a theme of broad intellectual relevance; it sits at the interdisciplinary crossroads of physics, biology, chemistry, and computer science. Memory connotes the ability to encode, access, and erase signatures of past history in the state of a system. Once the system has completely relaxed to thermal equilibrium, it is no longer able to recall aspects of its evolution. The memory of initial conditions or previous training protocols will be lost. Thus many forms of memory are intrinsically tied to far-from-equilibrium behavior and to transient response to a perturbation. This general behavior arises in diverse contexts in condensed-matter physics and materials, including phase change memory, shape memory, echoes, memory effects in glasses, return-point memory in disordered magnets, as well as related contexts in computer science. Yet, as opposed to the situation in biology, there is currently no common categorization and description of the memory behavior that appears to be prevalent throughout condensed-matter systems. Here the focus is on material memories. The basic phenomenology of a few of the known behaviors that can be understood as constituting a memory will be described. The hope is that this will be a guide toward developing the unifying conceptual underpinnings for a broad understanding of memory effects that appear in materials.

© American Physical Society (APS) [Memory formation in matter. Reviews of Modern Physics 91, 3 (2019)]

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Work Title Memory formation in matter
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Open Access
Creators
  1. Nathan C. Keim
  2. Joseph D. Paulsen
  3. Zorana Zeravcic
  4. Srikanth Sastry
  5. Sidney R. Nagel
License In Copyright (Rights Reserved)
Work Type Article
Publisher
  1. Reviews of Modern Physics
Publication Date July 26, 2019
Publisher Identifier (DOI)
  1. https://doi.org/10.1103/RevModPhys.91.035002
Deposited January 06, 2025

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Version 1
published

  • Created
  • Added 1810.08587-1.pdf
  • Added Creator Nathan C. Keim
  • Added Creator Joseph D. Paulsen
  • Added Creator Zorana Zeravcic
  • Added Creator Srikanth Sastry
  • Added Creator Sidney R. Nagel
  • Published
  • Updated