Simple models for memory in disordered materials*

The effect of oscillatory driving on avalanches and memory effects are compared in a variety of theoretical and experimental systems. Models for magnets, neurons, and amorphous systems suggest different kinds of memory that are seen in experiments on magnets, martensites, crystals, and other systems. Resonance effects are analyzed for bulk metallic glasses and friction. For applications, oscillatory driving may be used to forecast catastrophic events in many contexts, ranging from laboratory systems to earthquakes.