Linear response theory is used to express the anelastic response (creep function and generalized compliance) of a system under an applied stress, in terms of the equilibrium strain auto-correlation. These results extend an earlier analysis to cover inhomogeneous stresses and the tensor nature of the variables. For anelasticity due to point defects, we express the strain compactly in terms of the elastic dipole tensor and the probability matrix governing dipole re-orientation and migration. We verify that re-orientations contribute to the deviatoric strain alone (Snoek, Zener, etc. effects), while the dilatory part arises solely from the long-range diffusion of the defects under a stressgradient (the Gorsky effect). Our formulas apply for arbitrary orientational multiplicity, specimen geometry, and stress inhomogeneity. The subsequent development of the theory in any given situation then reduces to the modelling of the probability matrix referred to. In a companion paper, we apply our formalism to work out in detail the theory of the Gorsky effect (anelasticity due to long-range diffusion) for low interstitial concentrations, as an illustration of the advantages of our approach to the problem of anelastic relaxation.

The formalism of the preceding paper is applied to work out the theory of the Gorsky effect, or anelastic relaxation due to the long-range diffusion of interstitials in a host lattice, for non-interacting (low-concentration) interstitials (e.g., H in Nb). It is shown how linear response theory (LRT) provides a number of advantages that simplify the solution of the problem and permit the handling of complications due to specimen geometry and stress inhomogeneity. The multiple-relaxation time creep function of Alefeldet al is first re-derived. Next, the dynamic responseand the short-time behaviour of the creep function are deduced exactly, and theω^−1/2 fall-off of the internal friction at high frequencies is exhibited. Finally, it is pointed out that the true asymptotic behaviour of the dynamic response must be found by going beyond the diffusion equation model. A two-state random walk analysis is used to predict a cross-over to a trueω⁻¹ asymptotic behaviour, and the physical reasons for this phenomenon are elucidated.

A density matrix formalism is developed for anelastic (mechanical) relaxation in crystalline materials with point defects characterized by elastic dipoles. The time-dependent approach to equilibrium of the strain response under the action of a constant applied stress is deduced. The formalism parallels the one used in nuclear magnetic relaxation. The anelastic relaxation time is determined as a function of the parameters occurring in the defect hopping term in the Hamiltonian. This term is responsible for the dissipation of the anelastic ‘potential’ energy into the host lattice. In a lengthy concluding section, the following aspects are discussed point by point: the advantages of the formalism presented, its scope and special cases; the physical implications of the expression obtained for the relaxation time; the similarities and differences between magnetic relaxation and anelastic relaxation, etc.

Irradiation (as in a nuclear reactor) drastically affects the defect structure and its time evolution in a material, and induces new creep mechanisms in it. We present a formalism to evaluate the contribution to creep owing to such mechanisms. Beginning with the phenomenological constitutive relation for the strain appropriate to a given mechanism, we put in simple statistical considerations to derive an expression for the corresponding creep rate. This formal expression is in terms of the defect production rate and a non-equilibrium probability distribution function involving the pertinent properties of the defect type concerned. A convenient approximation scheme for practical calculations is employed, that also makes contact with standard rate theory and provides a proper interpretation for the variables occurring there. As an illustration, we evaluate the contribution to irradiation-induced creep from the orientation-dependent shrinkage of vacancy dislocation loops in an applied stress field. The circumstances inducing transient and non-transient creep are clarified and a numerical estimate is given for the latter component.

The generalised Langevin equation (GLE), originally developed in the context of Brownian motion, yields a convenient representation for the mobility (generalised susceptibility) in terms of a frequency-dependent friction (memory function). Kubo has shown how two deep consistency conditions, or fluctuation-dissipation theorems, follow from the GLE. The first relates the mobility to the velocity auto-correlation in equilibrium, as is also derivable from linear response theory. The second is a generalised Nyquist theorem, relating the memory function to the auto-correlation of the random force driving the velocity fluctuations. Certain subtle points in the proofs of these theorems have not been dealt with sufficiently carefully hitherto. We discuss the input information required to make the GLE description a complete one, and present concise, systematic proofs starting from the GLE. Care is taken to settle the points of ambiguity in the original version of these proofs. The causality condition imposed is clarified, and Felderhof’s recent criticism of Kubo’s derivation is commented upon. Finally, we demonstrate how the ‘persistence’ of equilibrium can be used to evaluate easily the equilibrium auto-correlation of the ‘driven’ variable (e.g., the velocity) from the transient solution of the corresponding stochastic equation.

The measurement in thermal equilibrium of the vacancy contribution to the residual resistivity of metals has posed certain difficulties. The recent experiment of Celasco and co-workers represents a new, powerful approach to this problem, via the measurement of the power spectrum of the voltage noise generated by resistivity fluctuations. The latter originate in vacancy number fluctuations. We develop a theory for the power spectrum, incorporating three basic features. Vacancies can be annihilated in the material and they diffuse. Grain boundaries act as sources and sinks for vacancies. Both annihilation (a form of reaction) and diffusion are noisy processes. We therefore set up and solve a reactive-diffusive stochastic equation for the instantaneous density, with appropriatefinite boundary conditions. Assuming for simplicity that the grains are spherical, the power spectrum is evaluated exactly, in closed form. A detailed comparison with experiment is made. The physical origins of different time scales in the problem and the consequent frequency regimes in the power spectrum are analysed. Recognising the very general applicability of our theory, we also mention possible applications to other problems.

A phenomenological interpolation model for the transition operator of a stationary Markov process is shown to be equivalent to the simplest difference approximation in the master equation for the conditional density. Comparison with the formal solution of the Fokker-Planck equation yields a criterion for the choice of the correlation time in the approximate solution. The interpolation model is shown to be form-invariant under an iteration-cum-rescaling scheme. Next, we go beyond Markov processes to find the effective time-development operator (the counterpart of the conditional density) in the following very general situation: the stochastic interruption of the systematic evolution of a variable by an arbitrary stationary sequence of randomizing pulses. Continuous-time random walk theory with a distinct first-waiting-time distribution is used, along with the interpolation model for the transition operator, to obtain the solution. Convenient closed-form expressions for the ‘averaged’ time-development operator and the autocorrelation function are presented in various special cases. These include (i) no systematic evolution, but correlated pulses; (ii) systematic evolution interrupted by an uncorrelated (Poisson) sequence of pulses.

Viscoelasticity is exhibited by polymers, metals undergoing diffusion creep, etc. The strain is a linear functional of the stress, but there is no unique equilibrium relationship between them. Under a constant stress, the strain does not saturate to an equilibrium value. This divergence is the main difficulty facing a first-principles theory of viscoelasticity, in contrast to anelasticity which has already been understood as a relaxation process in terms of response theory, fluctuations and related concepts. We now present such a theory, based on the recognition that viscoelasticity occurs whenever the spontaneous fluctuations of the strainrate, butnot of the strain, form a stationary random process. We give fundamental formulas for the creep function and the complex compliance, in terms of the spontaneous fluctuations of the strain rate, that apply to both viscoelasticity and anelasticity. A detailed stochastic analysis of the basic viscoelastic network equation corroborates and complements these results. The unphysical instantaneous response of the network is eliminated, and the network parameters are related to internal fluctuations. A certain functional form of the creep function is derived that is common to several physical situations, a few of which are mentioned. Detailed applications will be taken up elsewhere.

Diffusion with interruptions (arising from localized oscillations, or traps, or mixing between jump diffusion and fluid-like diffusion, etc.) is a very general phenomenon. Its manifestations range from superionic conductance to the behaviour of hydrogen in metals. Based on a continuous-time random walk approach, we present a comprehensive two-state random walk model for the diffusion of a particle on a lattice, incorporating arbitrary holding-time distributions for both localized residence at the sites and inter-site flights, and also the correct first-waiting-time distributions. A synthesis is thus achieved of the two extremes of jump diffusion (zero flight time) and fluid-like diffusion (zero residence time). Various earlier models emerge as special cases of our theory. Among the noteworthy results obtained are: closed-form solutions (ind dimensions, and with arbitrary directional bias) for temporally uncorrelated jump diffusion and for the ‘fluid diffusion’ counterpart; a compact, general formula for the mean square displacement; the effects of a continuous spectrum of time scales in the holding-time distributions, etc. The dynamic mobility and the structure factor for ‘oscillatory diffusion’ are taken up in part 2.

Continuing our study of interrupted diffusion, we consider the problem of a particle executing a random walk interspersed with localized oscillations during its halts (e.g., at lattice sites). Earlier approaches proceedvia approximation schemes for the solution of the Fokker-Planck equation for diffusion in a periodic potential. In contrast, we visualize a two-state random walk in velocity space with the particle alternating between a state of flight and one of localized oscillation. Using simple, physically plausible inputs for the primary quantities characterising the random walk, we employ the powerful continuous-time random walk formalism to derive convenient and tractable closed-form expressions for all the objects of interest: the velocity autocorrelation, generalized diffusion constant, dynamic mobility, mean square displacement, dynamic structure factor (in the Gaussian approximation), etc. The interplay of the three characteristic times in the problem (the mean residence and flight times, and the period of the ‘local mode’) is elucidated. The emergence of a number of striking features of oscillatory diffusion (e.g., the local mode peak in the dynamic mobility and structure factor, and the transition between the oscillatory and diffusive regimes) is demonstrated.

We seek the conditional probability functionP(m,t) for the position of a particle executing a random walk on a lattice, governed by the distributionW(n, t) specifying the probability ofn jumps or steps occurring in timet. Uncorrelated diffusion occurs whenW is a Poisson distribution. The solutions corresponding to two different families of distributionsW are found and discussed. The Poissonian is a limiting case in each of these families. This permits a quantitative investigation of the effects, on the diffusion process, of varying degrees of temporal correlation in the step sequences. In the first part, the step sequences are regarded as realizations of an ongoing renewal process with a probability densityψ(t) for the time interval between successive jumps.W is constructed in terms ofψ using the continuous-time random walk approach. The theory is then specialized to the case whenψ belongs to the class of special Erlangian density functions. In the second part,W is taken to belong to the family of negative binomial distributions, ranging from the geometric (most correlated) to the Poissonian (uncorrelated). Various aspects such as the continuum limit, the master equation forP, the asymptotic behaviour ofP, etc., are discussed.

We present closed expressions for the characteristic function of the first passage time distribution for biased and unbiased random walks on finite chains and continuous segments with reflecting boundary conditions. Earlier results on mean first passage times for one-dimensional random walks emerge as special cases. The divergences that result as the boundary is moved out to infinity are exhibited explicitly. For a symmetric random walk on a line, the distribution is an elliptic theta function that goes over into the known Lévy distribution with exponent 1/2 as the boundary tends to ∞.

We consider an arbitrary continuous time random walk (ctrw)via unbiased nearest-neighbour jumps on a linear lattice. Solutions are presented for the distributions of the first passage time and the time of escape from a bounded region. A simple relation between the conditional probability function and the first passage time distribution is analysed. So is the structure of the relation between the characteristic functions of the first passage time and escape time distributions. The mean first passage time is shown to diverge for all (unbiased)ctrw’s. The divergence of the mean escape time is related to that of the mean time between jumps. A class ofctrw’s displaying a self-similar clustering behaviour in time is considered. The exponent characterising the divergence of the mean escape time is shown to be (1−H), whereH(0<H<1) is the fractal dimensionality of thectrw.

Stochastic dynamics in the presence of quenched disorder (e.g., diffusion in a random medium) is generally treated in a suitable mean-field or effective medium approximation. While numerical simulations may help determine the accuracy of such approximations in specific models, there are relatively few instances in which analytic solutions are possible, to enable a precise comparison to be made with the mean-field results. We consider in this paper a simple but general model of quenched disorder in which a system variablex jumps stochastically between two valuesx_a andx_b. However, in each level there occurs with a certain probability a branch (or internal) state into which the system may fall, and from which a jump to the other level is possible only after a return to the original (or ‘active’) state. Four different configurations of the states of the system are thus possible, and the transitions between the states are governed by Markovian transition probabilities. The moments ofx and its autocorrelation function are computed in each case, and then configuration-averaged over the four realizations. This represents the exact solution. Next, a mean-field theory of the dynamics is developed: this turns out to involve an effective waiting-time density at each of the two levels that is non-exponential in time, so that the mean-field dynamics is a non-Markovian alternating renewal process. The moments and autocorrelation ofx are again computed, and compared with the exact solutions. The extent of the differences at both short and long times is elucidated, and a numerical comparison is presented for the case of maximal disorder.

We solve analytically the problem of a biased random walk on a finite chain of ‘sites’ (1,2,…,N) in discrete time, with ‘myopic boundary conditions’—a walker at 1 (orN) at timen moves to 2 (orN − 1) with probability one at time (n + 1). The Markov chain has period two; there is no unique stationary distribution, and the moments of the displacement of the walker oscillate about certain mean values asn → ∞, with amplitudes proportional to 1/N. In the continuous-time limit, the oscillating behaviour of the probability distribution disappears, but the stationary distribution is depleted at the terminal sites owing to the boundary conditions. In the limit of continuous space as well, the problem becomes identical to that of diffusion on a line segment with the standard reflecting boundary conditions. The first passage time problem is also solved, and the differences between the walks with myopic and reflecting boundaries are brought out.

A very simple way is presented of deriving the partial differential equations (the master equations) satisfied by the probability density for certain kinds of diffusion processes in one dimension, in which the driving term is a Gaussian white noise, or a dichotomic noise, or a combination of the two. The method involves the use of certain ‘formulas of differentiation’ to derive the equations obeyed by the characteristic functions of the processes concerned, and thence the corresponding master equations. The examples presented cover a substantial number of diffusion processes that occur in physical modelling, including some master equations derived recently in the literature for generalizations of persistent diffusion.

The invariant density of one-dimensional maps in the regime of fully-developed chaos with uncorrelated additive noise is considered. Boundary conditions are shown to play a significant role in determining the precise form of the invariant density, via the manner in which they handle the spill-over, caused by the noise, of orbits beyond the interval. The known case of periodic boundary conditions is briefly recapitulated. Analytic solutions for the invariant density that are possible under certain conditions are presented with applications to specific well-known maps. The case of ‘sticky’ boundaries is generalized to ‘re-injection at the nearest boundary’, and the exact functional equations determining the invariant density are derived. Interesting boundary layer effects are shown to occur, that lead to significant modifications of the invariant density corresponding to the unperturbed (noise-free) case, even when the latter is a constant — as illustrated by an application of the formalism to the noisy tent map. All our results are non-perturbative, and hold good for any noise amplitude in the interval.