Related papers: Stability at Random Close Packing
We introduce a minimal theory of glass formation based on the ideas of molecular crowding and resultant string-like cooperative rearrangement, and address the effects of free interfaces. In the bulk case, we obtain a scaling expression for…
We investigate the formation of polycrystalline structures in a class of particle systems. The atomistic energy is modeled as a sum of particle energies that favor atoms being locally isometric to a reference lattice. The discrete frame…
We consider the equilibrium dynamics of Ising spin models with multi-spin interactions on sparse random graphs (Bethe lattices). Such models undergo a mean field glass transition upon increasing the graph connectivity or lowering the…
We investigate the emergence of rigid polycrystalline structures from atomistic particle systems. The atomic interaction is governed by a suitably normalized pair interaction energy, where the `sticky disk' interaction potential models the…
We consider an invariant random matrix model where the standard Gaussian potential is distorted by an additional single pole of order $m$. We compute the average or macroscopic spectral density in the limit of large matrix size, solving the…
Employing molecular dynamics simulations of jammed soft particles, we study microscopic responses of force-chain networks to quasi-static isotropic (de)compressions. We show that not only contacts but also interparticle gaps between the…
Reversible diffusion limited cluster aggregation of hard spheres with rigid bonds was simulated and the self diffusion coefficient was determined for equilibrated systems. The effect of increasing attraction strength was determined for…
When the source in a 4-image gravitational lens lies close to a "fold" caustic, two of the lensed images lie close together. If the lens potential is smooth on the scale of the separation between the two close images, then the difference…
We present a model of polymer growth and diffusion with frustration mechanisms for density increase and with diffusion rates of Arrhenius form with mass-dependent energy barriers Gamma(m) ~ (m-1)^gamma. It shows non-universal logarithmic…
We perform a detailed analysis of the contact force network in a dense confined packing of pentagonal particles simulated by means of the contact dynamics method. The effect of particle shape is evidenced by comparing the data from pentagon…
I describe a class of spin models with short--range plaquette interactions whose static equilibrium properties are trivial but which display glassy dynamics at low temperatures. These models have a dual description in terms of free defects…
Simulations and Mode-Coupling Theory calculations, for a large range of the arm number $f$ and packing fraction $\eta$ have shown that the structural arrest and the dynamics of star polymers in a good solvent are extremely rich: the systems…
Constraints can affect dramatically the behavior of diffusion processes. Recently, we analyzed a natural and a technological system and reported that they perform diffusion-like discrete steps displaying a peculiar constraint, whereby the…
The question of how a disordered material's microstructure translates into macroscopic mechanical response is central to understanding and designing materials like pastes, foams and metallic glasses. Here, we examine a 2D soft jammed…
Slow dynamic nonlinearity is ubiquitous amongst brittle materials, such as rocks and concrete, with cracked microstructures. A defining feature of the behavior is the logarithmic-in-time recovery of stiffness after a mechanical…
Local stresses and pressures always exist in glasses. In this letter we consider their effects on the structure and structural correlations in simple glasses. We find that extreme values of local pressures are related to well defined local…
The interplay of topological constraints and Coulomb interactions in static and dynamic properties of charged polymers is investigated by numerical simulations and scaling arguments. In the absence of screening, the long-range interaction…
The aim of this paper is to review and discuss qualitatively some results on the properties of amorphous packings of hard spheres that were recently obtained by means of the replica method. The theory gives predictions for the equation of…
The dynamics of compaction of hard cross-shaped pentamers on the 2D square lattice is investigated. The addition of new particles is controlled by diffusive relaxation. It is shown that the filling process terminates at a glassy phase with…
Elucidating the interplay of stress and geometry is a fundamental scientific question arising in multiple fields. In this work, we investigate the geometric frustration of crystalline caps confined on the sphere in both elastic and plastic…