English

A phase-separation perspective on dynamic heterogeneities in glass-forming liquids

Disordered Systems and Neural Networks 2012-07-19 v1

Abstract

We study dynamic heterogeneities in a model glass-former whose overlap with a reference configuration is constrained to a fixed value. The system phase-separates into regions of small and large overlap, so that dynamical correlations remain strong even for asymptotic times. We calculate an appropriate thermodynamic potential and find evidence of a Maxwell's construction consistent with a spinodal decomposition of two phases. Our results suggest that dynamic heterogeneities are the expression of an ephemeral phase-separating regime ruled by a finite surface tension.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1001.2539,
  title  = {A phase-separation perspective on dynamic heterogeneities in glass-forming liquids},
  author = {C. Cammarota and A. Cavagna and I. Giardina and G. Gradenigo and T. S. Grigera and G. Parisi and P. Verrocchio},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1001.2539},
  year   = {2012}
}