Effective temperature in elastoplasticity of amorphous solids

An effective temperature $T_{\text{eff}}$ which differs from the bath temperature is believed to play an essential role in the theory of elastoplasticity of amorphous solids. Here, we introduce a natural definition of $T_{\text{eff}}$ appearing naturally in a Boltzmann-like distribution of measurable structural features without recourse to any questionable assumption. The value of $T_{\text{eff}}$ is connected, using theory and scaling concepts, to the flow stress and the mean energy that characterize the elastoplastic flow. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.81.100201 © 2010 The American Physical Society