Stability of networks under tension and pressure

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Abstract
The number of zero-frequency modes of an elastic network is an important quantity in determining the stability of the network. We present a constraint-counting method for finding this number in general central-force networks that are under an external tension. The technique involves isolating the backbone and then counting constraints in the same way as for free standing networks. A detailed example of this counting is given for a random two-dimensional network subject to an external tension. The results are shown to agree with the number of zero-frequency modes as determined by a direct matrix diagonalization.