Slow plastic creep of 2D dusty plasma solids

Abstract

We report complex plasma experiments, assisted by numerical simulations, providing an alternative qualitative link between the macroscopic response of polycrystalline solid matter to small shearing forces and the possible underlying microscopic processes. In the stationary creep regime we have determined the exponents of the shear rate dependence of the shear stress and defect density, being $\alpha = 1.15 \pm 0.1$ and $\beta = 2.4 \pm 0.4$, respectively. We show that the formation and rapid glide motion of dislocation pairs in the lattice are dominant processes.