Structural-scale transitions in solids with defects and symmetry aspects of field theory

Relaxation and failure mechanisms in solids with mesoscopic defects are considered in the context of a specific class of critical phenomena-structural-scaling transitions. The association of collective modes in mesodefect ensembles with gauge invariance in string theory is discussed. Statistical and thermodynamic properties of deformed solids are studied in relation to dynamics of collective modes of defects.