Dynamical process where an edge dislocation in fcc copper bypasses an impenetrable precipitate is investigated by means of molecular dynamics simulation. A mechanism which is quite different from the Orowan mechanism is observed, where a dislocation leaves two prismatic loops near a precipitate: i.e. the Hirsch mechanism. It is found that the critical stress for the Hirsch mechanism is almost the same as the Orowan stress, while the spatial inhomogeneity of the shear stress is essential to the Hirsch mechanism. We also find that the repetition of the Hirsch mechanism does not increase the critical stress.PACS numbers: 81.40. Cd, 61.72.Bb, 62.20.Fe Plastic flow in crystalline materials is mainly dominated by the movement of dislocations. They are curvilinear defects which can move at much lower stress levels than the theoretical strength of a perfect crystal [1]. A dislocation interacts with other lattice defects such as voids or precipitates, which obstruct the dislocation motion to result in hardening. Such dislocation-obstacle interactions dominate plasticity of crystalline materials, and hence they are one of the major concerns in materials science. Until very recently, they were considered exclusively by plausible continuum models [2,3], which deal with a single glide plane and neglect atomistic discreteness. The recent computer development enables direct molecular dynamics (MD) simulation on dislocation systems, which consist of multi-million atoms. MD simulations have revealed dynamical properties and atomistic details of dislocations. For example, edge dislocations absorb vacancies when they interact with voids [4] or stacking fault tetrahedra [5]. They are good illustrations of the usefulness of MD simulation in the field of dislocation physics. Along the line of these studies, the interaction with an impenetrable precipitate, which has not been investigated by MD simulation, is explored in this Letter.An interaction between a dislocation and a precipitate is characterized by their shear moduli. When the shear modulus of a precipitate is larger than the bulk's, the interaction is repulsive so that the precipitate can be impenetrable [6]. In this case, the extent of hardening becomes significant. This is the principle of so-called "particle strengthening", which is widely utilized in processing stronger materials [7]. There is a mechanism by which a dislocation bypasses impenetrable obstacles, where a dislocation largely bows out to leave a dislocation loop around the obstacle [1]. Note that the loop is on the original glide plane. This process and the resultant dislocation loop are referred to as the Orowan mechanism and an Orowan loop, respectively. However, because the interaction between an Orowan loop and a dislocation is strongly repulsive, theoretical calculations in which Orowan loops are assumed to be persistent predict unreasonably strong work-hardening [8,9]. To avoid this contradiction, some alternative bypass mechanisms have been presented. Hirsch [10,11] had pointed out the possibility of...