Controlled pathways and sequential information processing in serially coupled mechanical hysterons

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 121, pp. e2308414121

Abstract

The complex sequential response of frustrated materials results from the interactions between material bits called hysterons. Hence, a central challenge is to understand and control these interactions, so that materials with targeted pathways and functionalities can be realized. Here, we show that hysterons in serial configurations experience geometrically controllable antiferromagnetic-like interactions. We create hysteron-based metamaterials that leverage these interactions to realize targeted pathways, including those that break the return point memory property, characteristic of independent or weakly interacting hysterons. We uncover that the complex response to sequential driving of such strongly interacting hysteron-based materials can be described by finite state machines. We realize information processing operations such as string parsing in materia, and outline a general framework to uncover and characterize the FSMs for a given physical system. Our work provides a general strategy to understand and control hysteron interactions, and opens a broad avenue toward material-based information processing.

Authors 7

1. Jingran Liu corresponding Aachen Huygens-Kamerlingh Onnes Lab

   Leiden University · State Key Laboratory of Mechanical Structure Strength and Vibration · Xi'an Jiaotong University

   Affiliation as printed

   Huygens-Kamerlingh Onnes Lab, Leiden Institute of Physics, Universiteit Leiden, NL-2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands

   Laboratory for Multiscale Mechanics and Medical Science, State Key Lab for Strength and Vibration of Mechanical Structures, School of Aerospace, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China

   Laboratory for Multiscale Mechanics and Medical Science, State Key Lab for Strength and Vibration of Mechanical Structures, School of Aerospace, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China

2. Margot Teunisse Aachen Huygens-Kamerlingh Onnes Lab

   Leiden University · Institute for Atomic and Molecular Physics

   Affiliation as printed

   AMOLF, 1098 XG Amsterdam, The Netherlands

   Huygens-Kamerlingh Onnes Lab, Leiden Institute of Physics, Universiteit Leiden, NL-2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands

3. George Korovin Aachen Huygens-Kamerlingh Onnes Lab

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Huygens-Kamerlingh Onnes Lab, Leiden Institute of Physics, Universiteit Leiden, NL-2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands

4. Ivo R. Vermaire Aachen Huygens-Kamerlingh Onnes Lab

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Huygens-Kamerlingh Onnes Lab, Leiden Institute of Physics, Universiteit Leiden, NL-2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands

5. Lishuai Jin Aachen Huygens-Kamerlingh Onnes Lab

   Leiden University · Institute for Atomic and Molecular Physics

   Affiliation as printed

   AMOLF, 1098 XG Amsterdam, The Netherlands

   Huygens-Kamerlingh Onnes Lab, Leiden Institute of Physics, Universiteit Leiden, NL-2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands

6. Hadrien Bense

   Université Libre de Bruxelles · Institute for Atomic and Molecular Physics

   Affiliation as printed

   AMOLF, 1098 XG Amsterdam, The Netherlands

   Nonlinear Physical Chemistry Unit, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 1050 Bruxelles, Belgium

7. Martin van Hecke Aachen Huygens-Kamerlingh Onnes Lab

   Leiden University · Institute for Atomic and Molecular Physics

   Affiliation as printed

   AMOLF, 1098 XG Amsterdam, The Netherlands

   Huygens-Kamerlingh Onnes Lab, Leiden Institute of Physics, Universiteit Leiden, NL-2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands