1,981 research outputs found
Metastable States, Relaxation Times and Free-energy Barriers in Finite Dimensional Glassy Systems
In this note we discuss metastability in a long-but-finite range disordered
model for the glass transition. We show that relaxation is dominated by
configuration belonging to metastable states and associate an in principle
computable free-energy barrier to the equilibrium relaxation time. Adam-Gibbs
like relaxation times appear naturally in this approach.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures. Typos correcte
Off equilibrium magnetic properties in a model for vortices in superconductors
We study the properties of a simple lattice model of repulsive particles
diffusing in a pinning landscape. The behaviour of the model is very similar to
the observed physics of vortices in superconductors. We compare and discuss the
equilibrium phase diagram, creep dynamics, the Bean state profiles, hysteresis
of magnetisation loops (including the second peak feature), and, in particular,
``off equilibrium'' relaxations. The model is analytically tractable in replica
mean field theory and numerically via Monte Carlo simulations. It offers a
comprehensive schematic framework of the observed phenomenology
Relation between positional specific heat and static relaxation length: Application to supercooled liquids
A general identification of the {\em positional specific heat} as the
thermodynamic response function associated with the {\em static relaxation
length} is proposed, and a phenomenological description for the thermal
dependence of the static relaxation length in supercooled liquids is presented.
Accordingly, through a phenomenological determination of positional specific
heat of supercooled liquids, we arrive at the thermal variation of the static
relaxation length , which is found to vary in accordance with in the quasi-equilibrium supercooled temperature regime, where
is the Vogel-Fulcher temperature and exponent equals unity. This
result to a certain degree agrees with that obtained from mean field theory of
random-first-order transition, which suggests a power law temperature variation
for with an apparent divergence at . However, the phenomenological
exponent , is higher than the corresponding mean field estimate
(becoming exact in infinite dimensions), and in perfect agreement with the
relaxation length exponent as obtained from the numerical simulations of the
same models of structural glass in three spatial dimensions.Comment: Revised version, 7 pages, no figures, submitted to IOP Publishin
Forced motion of a probe particle near the colloidal glass transition
We use confocal microscopy to study the motion of a magnetic bead in a dense
colloidal suspension, near the colloidal glass transition volume fraction
. For dense liquid-like samples near , below a threshold force
the magnetic bead exhibits only localized caged motion. Above this force, the
bead is pulled with a fluctuating velocity. The relationship between force and
velocity becomes increasingly nonlinear as is approached. The
threshold force and nonlinear drag force vary strongly with the volume
fraction, while the velocity fluctuations do not change near the transition.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures revised version, accepted for publication in
Europhysics Letter
Liquid-Liquid Phase Transitions for Soft-Core Attractive Potentials
Using event driven molecular dynamics simulations, we study a three
dimensional one-component system of spherical particles interacting via a
discontinuous potential combining a repulsive square soft core and an
attractive square well. In the case of a narrow attractive well, it has been
shown that this potential has two metastable gas-liquid critical points. Here
we systematically investigate how the changes of the parameters of this
potential affect the phase diagram of the system. We find a broad range of
potential parameters for which the system has both a gas-liquid critical point
and a liquid-liquid critical point. For the liquid-gas critical point we find
that the derivatives of the critical temperature and pressure, with respect to
the parameters of the potential, have the same signs: they are positive for
increasing width of the attractive well and negative for increasing width and
repulsive energy of the soft core. This result resembles the behavior of the
liquid-gas critical point for standard liquids. In contrast, for the
liquid-liquid critical point the critical pressure decreases as the critical
temperature increases. As a consequence, the liquid-liquid critical point
exists at positive pressures only in a finite range of parameters. We present a
modified van der Waals equation which qualitatively reproduces the behavior of
both critical points within some range of parameters, and give us insight on
the mechanisms ruling the dependence of the two critical points on the
potential's parameters. The soft core potential studied here resembles model
potentials used for colloids, proteins, and potentials that have been related
to liquid metals, raising an interesting possibility that a liquid-liquid phase
transition may be present in some systems where it has not yet been observed.Comment: 29 pages, 15 figure
Local fluctuations in an aging glass
Polarization fluctuations were measured in nanoscale volumes of a polymer
glass during aging following a temperature quench through the glass transition.
Statistical properties of the noise were studied in equilibrium and during
aging. The noise spectral density had a larger temporal variance during aging,
i.e. the noise was more non-Gaussian, demonstrating stronger correlations
during aging
Potential energy landscape-based extended van der Waals equation
The inherent structures ({\it IS}) are the local minima of the potential
energy surface or landscape, , of an {\it N} atom system.
Stillinger has given an exact {\it IS} formulation of thermodynamics. Here the
implications for the equation of state are investigated. It is shown that the
van der Waals ({\it vdW}) equation, with density-dependent and
coefficients, holds on the high-temperature plateau of the averaged {\it IS}
energy. However, an additional ``landscape'' contribution to the pressure is
found at lower . The resulting extended {\it vdW} equation, unlike the
original, is capable of yielding a water-like density anomaly, flat isotherms
in the coexistence region {\it vs} {\it vdW} loops, and several other desirable
features. The plateau energy, the width of the distribution of {\it IS}, and
the ``top of the landscape'' temperature are simulated over a broad reduced
density range, , in the Lennard-Jones fluid. Fits to the
data yield an explicit equation of state, which is argued to be useful at high
density; it nevertheless reproduces the known values of and at the
critical point
Non-Arrhenius Behavior of Secondary Relaxation in Supercooled Liquids
Dielectric relaxation spectroscopy (1 Hz - 20 GHz) has been performed on
supercooled glass-formers from the temperature of glass transition (T_g) up to
that of melting. Precise measurements particularly in the frequencies of
MHz-order have revealed that the temperature dependences of secondary
beta-relaxation times deviate from the Arrhenius relation in well above T_g.
Consequently, our results indicate that the beta-process merges into the
primary alpha-mode around the melting temperature, and not at the dynamical
transition point T which is approximately equal to 1.2 T_g.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, revtex
Intra-molecular coupling as a mechanism for a liquid-liquid phase transition
We study a model for water with a tunable intra-molecular interaction
, using mean field theory and off-lattice Monte Carlo simulations.
For all , the model displays a temperature of maximum
density.For a finite intra-molecular interaction ,our
calculations support the presence of a liquid-liquid phase transition with a
possible liquid-liquid critical point for water, likely pre-empted by
inevitable freezing. For J=0 the liquid-liquid critical point disappears at
T=0.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure
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