English

The RFOT Theory of Glasses: Recent Progress and Open Issues

Disordered Systems and Neural Networks 2022-08-12 v1 Statistical Mechanics

Abstract

The Random First Order Transition (RFOT) theory started with the pioneering work of Kirkpatrick, Thirumalai and Wolynes. It leverages the methods and advances of the theory of disordered systems. It fares remarkably well at reproducing the salient experimental facts of super-cooled liquids. Yet, direct and indisputable experimental validations are missing. In this short survey, we will review recent investigations that broadly support all static aspects of RFOT, but also those for which the standard dynamical extension of the theory appears to be struggling, in particular in relation with facilitation effects. We discuss possible solutions and open issues.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2208.05866,
  title  = {The RFOT Theory of Glasses: Recent Progress and Open Issues},
  author = {Giulio Biroli and Jean-Philippe Bouchaud},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2208.05866},
  year   = {2022}
}