Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 12, 2026

Confocal Imaging of Confined Quiescent and Flowing Colloid-polymer Mixtures
Published on: May 20, 2014
Memories of Amplitude and Direction Coexist and Compete in Non-Brownian Suspensions
Surendra Padamata1, Nathan C Keim1
1The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Physics, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA.
Abstract:
Steadily shearing a non-Brownian suspension forms a memory of direction, while shearing back and forth forms a memory of amplitude. Each memory is evident in the system's response to further shear, exemplifying its strong history dependence. By combining the steady and oscillatory experiments, we show these memories are distinct but intersecting aspects of the same nonequilibrium physics: they can coexist, yet a specific amplitude suppresses directional memory and makes the system symmetric. Combined with prior results from disordered solids, our Letter presents a simple motif for limited memory capacity in nonequilibrium matter.
Related Concept Videos
Colloids and Suspensions
The Colloidal State
Colloids
Colloidal precipitates
Intermolecular Forces
Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Relaxation Processes

