Quantitative Theory of a Relaxation Function in a Glass-Forming System

Abstract

We present a quantitative theory for a relaxation function in a simple glass-forming model (binary mixture of particles with different interaction parameters). It is shown that the slowing down is caused by the competition between locally favored regions (clusters) which are long lived but each of which relaxes as a simple function of time. Without the clusters the relaxation of the background is simply determined by one typical length which we deduce from an elementary statistical mechanical argument. The total relaxation function (which depends on time in a nontrivial manner) is quantitatively determined as a weighted sum over the clusters and the background. The `fragility' in this system can be understood quantitatively since it is determined by the temperature dependence of the number fractions of the locally favored regions.

4 pages, 5 figures

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• The Effective Temperature in Elasto-Plasticity of Amorphous Solids
• Quantitative Theory of a Time-Correlation Function in a One-Component Glass-Forming Liquid with Anisotropic Potential
• Theory of Specific Heat in Glass Forming Systems
• Non-Universality of the Specific Heat in Glass Forming Systems
• Predictive Statistical Mechanics for Glass Forming Systems