Competition Between Energy and Dynamics in Memory Formation

Hysterons and their interactions can be used as a simple model to study memory formation in cyclically driven materials. The default hysteron model is based on a double-well potential with two adjacent energy minima that are typically treated quasistatically. In this talk, I will introduce a generalized hysteron model with tunable bi-stability that can serve as a model for understanding memory in systems with inherent dynamics. Changing the timescale of the driving in this model allows the system to transition between a situation where its fate is determined by following the local energy minimum to one where it is trapped in a shallow minimum determined by the path it takes. Oscillatory forcing can lead to transients lasting many cycles, a behavior not possible for a single quasistatic hysteron.