12 research outputs found
Inherent structures dynamics in glasses: a comparative study
A comparative study of the dynamics of inherent structures at low
temperatures is performed on different models of glass formers: a three
dimensional Lennard-Jones binary mixture (LJBM), facilitated spin models
(either symmetrically constrained, SCIC, or asymmetrically, ACIC) and the trap
model. We use suitable correlation functions introduced in a previous work
which allow to distinguish the behaviour between models with or without spatial
or topological structure. Furthermore, the correlations between inherent
structures behave differently in the cases of strong (SCIC) and fragile (ACIC,
LJBM) glasses, as a consequence of the different role played by energy barriers
when the temperature is lowered. The similarities in the behaviour of the ACIC
and LJBM suggest a common nature of the glassy dynamics for both systems.Comment: Proceedings of NEXT2003 (News and Expectations in Thermostatistics,
Sardinia, Italy, september 2003
Spin and density overlaps in the frustrated Ising lattice gas
We perform large scale simulations of the frustrated Ising lattice gas, a
three-dimensional lattice model of a structural glass, using the parallel
tempering technique. We evaluate the spin and density overlap distributions,
and the corresponding non-linear susceptibilities, as a function of the
chemical potential. We then evaluate the relaxation functions of the spin and
density self-overlap, and study the behavior of the relaxation times. The
results suggest that the spin variables undergo a transition very similar to
the one of the Ising spin glass, while the density variables do not show any
sign of transition at the same chemical potential. It may be that the density
variables undergo a transition at a higher chemical potential, inside the phase
where the spins are frozen.Comment: 7 pages, 10 figure
Dynamics of the frustrated Ising lattice gas
The dynamical properties of a three dimensional model glass, the frustrated
Ising lattice gas (FILG) are studied by Monte Carlo simulations. We present
results of compression experiments, where the chemical potential is either
slowly or abruptly changed, as well as simulations at constant density. One
time quantities like density and two time ones like correlations, responses and
mean square displacements are measured, and the departure from equilibrium
clearly characterized. The aging scenario, particularly in the case of density
autocorrelations is reminiscent of spin glass phenomenology with violations of
the Fluctuation-dissipation theorem, typical of systems with one replica
symmetry breaking. The FILG, as a valid on-lattice model of structural glasses
can be described with tools developed in spin glass theory and, being a finite
dimensional model, can open the way for a systematic study of activated
processes in glasses.Comment: to appear in Phys. Rev. E, november (2000
Thermodynamics and statistical mechanics of frozen systems in inherent states
We discuss a Statistical Mechanics approach in the manner of Edwards to the
``inherent states'' (defined as the stable configurations in the potential
energy landscape) of glassy systems and granular materials. We show that at
stationarity the inherent states are distributed according a generalized Gibbs
measure obtained assuming the validity of the principle of maximum entropy,
under suitable constraints. In particular we consider three lattice models (a
diluted Spin Glass, a monodisperse hard-sphere system under gravity and a
hard-sphere binary mixture under gravity) undergoing a schematic ``tap
dynamics'', showing via Monte Carlo calculations that the time average of
macroscopic quantities over the tap dynamics and over such a generalized
distribution coincide. We also discuss about the general validity of this
approach to non thermal systems.Comment: 10 pages, 16 figure
Effective interaction between helical bio-molecules
The effective interaction between two parallel strands of helical
bio-molecules, such as deoxyribose nucleic acids (DNA), is calculated using
computer simulations of the "primitive" model of electrolytes. In particular we
study a simple model for B-DNA incorporating explicitly its charge pattern as a
double-helix structure. The effective force and the effective torque exerted
onto the molecules depend on the central distance and on the relative
orientation. The contributions of nonlinear screening by monovalent counterions
to these forces and torques are analyzed and calculated for different salt
concentrations. As a result, we find that the sign of the force depends
sensitively on the relative orientation. For intermolecular distances smaller
than it can be both attractive and repulsive. Furthermore we report a
nonmonotonic behaviour of the effective force for increasing salt
concentration. Both features cannot be described within linear screening
theories. For large distances, on the other hand, the results agree with linear
screening theories provided the charge of the bio-molecules is suitably
renormalized.Comment: 18 pages, 18 figures included in text, 100 bibliog
Spatially heterogeneous ages in glassy dynamics
We construct a framework for the study of fluctuations in the nonequilibrium
relaxation of glassy systems with and without quenched disorder. We study two
types of two-time local correlators with the aim of characterizing the
heterogeneous evolution: in one case we average the local correlators over
histories of the thermal noise, in the other case we simply coarse-grain the
local correlators. We explain why the former describe the fingerprint of
quenched disorder when it exists, while the latter are linked to noise-induced
mesoscopic fluctuations. We predict constraints on the pdfs of the fluctuations
of the coarse-grained quantities. We show that locally defined correlations and
responses are connected by a generalized local out-of-equilibrium
fluctuation-dissipation relation. We argue that large-size heterogeneities in
the age of the system survive in the long-time limit. The invariance of the
theory under reparametrizations of time underlies these results. We relate the
pdfs of local coarse-grained quantities and the theory of dynamic random
manifolds. We define a two-time dependent correlation length from the spatial
decay of the fluctuations in the two-time local functions. We present numerical
tests performed on disordered spin models in finite and infinite dimensions.
Finally, we explain how these ideas can be applied to the analysis of the
dynamics of other glassy systems that can be either spin models without
disorder or atomic and molecular glassy systems.Comment: 47 pages, 60 Fig
Relaxation dynamics near the sol–gel transition: From cluster approach to mode-coupling theory
A long standing problem in glassy dynamics is the geometrical interpretation of clusters and the role they play in the observed scaling laws. In this context, the mode-coupling theory (MCT) of type-A transition and the sol–gel transition are both characterized by a structural arrest to a disordered state in which the long-time limit of the correlator continuously approaches zero at the transition point. In this paper, we describe a cluster approach to the sol-gel transition and explore its predictions, including universal scaling laws and a new stretched relaxation regime close to criticality. We show that while MCT consistently describes gelation at mean-field level, the percolation approach elucidates the geometrical character underlying MCT scaling laws
Exact results for two-dimensional coarsening
64.60.Cn Order-disorder transformations; statistical mechanics of model systems, 64.60.Ht Dynamic critical phenomena,