Unusual Shifts in 3D Materials: A New Discovery!

Scientists have found something unusual in how certain materials behave when pressure is applied. These materials, known as amorphous solids, don't have a regular structure. When pressure is increased, they act like normal elastic materials. But when the pressure is reduced, they start to flow like fluids. The interesting part is what happens in between these two states. In this middle phase, the material shows strange behavior. It's not quite solid, and it's not quite liquid. This phase is similar to a known phase in 2D materials called the hexatic phase. In this middle phase, the material shows strange behavior. It's not quite solid, and it's not quite liquid. The material shows a type of movement called plasticity. This movement is linked to something called quadrupolar events. These events create fields that act like dipoles. These dipoles screen elasticity, breaking certain symmetries in the material. The researchers also found that there are angular correlations in this phase. These correlations have lengths that grow larger as the transition happens. They also found specific numbers, called critical scaling exponents, that describe how this transition happens. This discovery is important because it shows that dipole-induced transitions can happen in 3D materials, not just in 2D. This could lead to new ways of understanding and using these materials.