Is the Stillinger and Weber decomposition relevant for coarsening models?

We study three kinetic models with constraint, namely the Symmetrically Constrained Ising Chain, the Asymmetrically Constrained Ising Chain, and the Backgammon Model. All these models show glassy behavior and coarsening. We apply to them the Stillinger and Weber decomposition, and find that they share the same configurational entropy, despite of their different nonequilibrium dynamics. We conclude therefore that the Stillinger and Weber decomposition is not relevant for this type of models.Comment: 14 pages, 12 figure

Inherent Structures, Configurational Entropy and Slow Glassy Dynamics

We give a short introduction to the inherent structure approach, with particular emphasis on the Stillinger and Weber decomposition, of glassy systems. We present some of the results obtained in the framework of spin-glass models and Lennard-Jones glasses. We discuss how to generalize the standard Stillinger and Weber approach by including the entropy of inherent structures. Finally we discuss why this approach is probably insufficient to describe the behavior of some kinetically constrained models.Comment: 16 pages, 8 figures, Contribution to the ESF SPHINX meeting `Glassy behaviour of kinetically constrained models' (Barcelona, March 22-25, 2001

Barriers in the p-spin interacting spin-glass model. The dynamical approach

We investigate the barriers separating metastable states in the spherical p-spin glass model using the instanton method. We show that the problem of finding the barrier heights can be reduced to the causal two-real-replica dynamics. We find the probability for the system to escape one of the highest energy metastable states and the energy barrier corresponding to this process.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur

Path Integral Approach to Random Neural Networks

In this work we study of the dynamics of large size random neural networks. Different methods have been developed to analyse their behavior, most of them rely on heuristic methods based on Gaussian assumptions regarding the fluctuations in the limit of infinite sizes. These approaches, however, do not justify the underlying assumptions systematically. Furthermore, they are incapable of deriving in general the stability of the derived mean field equations, and they are not amenable to analysis of finite size corrections. Here we present a systematic method based on Path Integrals which overcomes these limitations. We apply the method to a large non-linear rate based neural network with random asymmetric connectivity matrix. We derive the Dynamic Mean Field (DMF) equations for the system, and derive the Lyapunov exponent of the system. Although the main results are well known, here for the first time, we calculate the spectrum of fluctuations around the mean field equations from which we derive the general stability conditions for the DMF states. The methods presented here, can be applied to neural networks with more complex dynamics and architectures. In addition, the theory can be used to compute systematic finite size corrections to the mean field equations.Comment: 20 pages, 5 figure

A glass transition scenario based on heterogeneities and entropy barriers

We propose a scenario for the glass transition based on the cooperative nature of nucleation processes and entropic effects. The main point is the relation between the off-equilibrium energy dissipation and nucleation processes in off-equilibrium supercooled liquids which leads to a natural definition of the complexity. From the absence of coarsening growth we can derive an entropy based fluctuation formula which relates the free energy dissipation rate in the glass with the nucleation rate of the largest cooperative regions. As by-product we obtain a new phenomenological relation between the largest relaxation time in the supercooled liquid phase and an effective temperature. This differs from the Adam-Gibbs relation in that predicts no divergence of the primary relaxation time at the Kauzmann temperature and the existence of a crossover from fragile to strong behavior.Comment: 8th International Workshop on Disordered Systems, Andalo (Trento), Italy, 12-15 March 200

The spherical 2+p2+p spin glass model: an exactly solvable model for glass to spin-glass transition

We present the full phase diagram of the spherical $2+p$ spin glass model with $p\geq 4$. The main outcome is the presence of a new phase with both properties of Full Replica Symmetry Breaking (FRSB) phases of discrete models, e.g, the Sherrington-Kirkpatrick model, and those of One Replica Symmetry Breaking (1RSB). The phase, which separates a 1RSB phase from FRSB phase, is described by an order parameter function $q(x)$ with a continuous part (FRSB) for $x<m$ and a discontinuous jump (1RSB) at $x=m$. This phase has a finite complexity which leads to different dynamic and static properties.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure

Reply to Comment on ``Spherical 2+p spin-glass model: an analytically solvable model with a glass-to-glass transition''

In his Comment, Krakoviack [Phys. Rev. B (2007)] finds that the phase behavior of the s+p spin-glass model is different from what proposed by Crisanti and Leuzzi [Phys. Rev. B 73, 014412 (2006)] if s and p are larger than two and are separated well enough. He proposes a trial picture, based on a one step replica symmetry breaking solution, displaying a mode-coupling-like glass-to-glass transition line ending in a A3 singularity. However, actually, the physics of these systems changes when p-s is large, the instability of which the one step replica symmetry breaking glassy phase suffers turns out to be so wide ranging that the whole scenario proposed by Krakoviack must be seriously reconsidered.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure; reply to arXiv:0705.3187. To be published in Phys Rev B 76 (2007

A simple spin model for three steps relaxation and secondary proccesses in glass formers

A number of general trends are known to occur in systems displaying secondary processes in glasses and glass formers. Universal features can be identified as components of large and small cooperativeness whose competition leads to excess wings or apart peaks in the susceptibility spectrum. To the aim of understanding such rich and complex phenomenology we analyze the behavior of a model combining two apart glassy components with a tunable different cooperativeness. The model salient feature is, indeed, based on the competition of the energetic contribution of groups of dynamically relevant variables, e.g., density fluctuations, interacting in small and large sets. We investigate how the model is able to reproduce the secondary processes physics without further ad hoc ingredients, displaying known trends and properties under cooling or pressing.Comment: 11 Pages, 11 Figure

Frequency-domain study of relaxation in a spin glass model for the structural glass transition

We have computed the time-dependent susceptibility for the finite-size mean-field Random Orthogonal model (ROM). We find that for temperatures above the mode-coupling temperature the imaginary part of the susceptibility $\chi''(\nu)$ obeys the scaling forms proposed for glass-forming liquids. Furthermore, as the temperature is lowered the peak frequency of $\chi''$ decreases following a Vogel-Fulcher law with a critical temperature remarkably close to the known critical temperature $T_c$ where the configurational entropy vanishes.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, epl LaTeX packag