Thermal activation of atomic rearrangements in elastically deformed Ni50Zr50 metallic glasses

Elastically deformed metallic glasses were submitted to perturbations consisting of small individual atom displacements. The response, studied by molecular dynamics, pointed out the existence of unstable regions in which displacements induce local rearrangements. The displacement length at which these occur decreases with strain. When it becomes comparable with the amplitude of atomic thermal vibrations, unstable regions rearrange also in the absence of perturbation. This suggests for the deformation-induced rearrangement of unstable regions a thermal activation mechanism.