Atomistic simulation of aging and rejuvenation in glasses

Slow structural relaxation ({''}aging{''}) observed in many atomic, molecular, and polymeric glasses substantially alters their stress-strain relations and can produce a distinctive yield point. Using Monte Carlo simulation for a binary Lennard-Jones mixture, we have observed these phenomena and their cooling-rate dependences for the first time in an atomistic model system. We also observe that aging effects can be reversed by plastic deformation ({''}rejuvenation{''}), whereby the system is expelled from the Vicinity of deep minima in its potential energy surface.