Universal Dynamic Scaling for Sub-Yield Aging and Over-Yield Rejuvenation in A Cyclically Driven Metallic Glass

Abstract

Whether sub-yield aging and over-yield rejuvenation in cyclically deformed amorphous solids share a common physical origin or arise from distinct microscopic mechanisms remains a fundamental yet unresolved debate. Using molecular dynamics simulations of a metallic glass, we resolve this duality by uncovering a unified dynamic clock that dictates energy landscape navigation across both regimes. We show that the transition between regimes reflects a fundamental shift in energy injection pathways: (i) In the over-yield regime, rejuvenation is driven as a first-order response to macroscopic plastic shear work derived from Herschel-Bulkley non-linear rheological scaling. (ii) In contrast, this macroscopic work scaling fails in the sub-yield regime, where early-stage energy landscape elevation and subsequent cyclic aging are instead governed by second-order localized elastic stress fluctuations acting as a mechanical catalyst and noise source, respectively. Intense high-rate agitation increases the escape probability from deeper potential energy minima, thereby suppressing the retention efficiency of structural relaxation. By identifying these localized fluctuations as the primary origin of rate-attenuated sub-yield relaxation, we establish an exact scaling identity relating the relaxation attenuation exponent to the stress fluctuation exponent. This work directly bridges non-linear rheology with stress fluctuation dynamics, providing a unified framework to predict and manipulate structural evolution in amorphous solids.