9 January, 2010
Inhomogeneous mode coupling theory and Dynamical heterogeneities
Abstract
Mode coupling theory (MCT) is one of the most successful first-principles theories of the glass transition [1,2]. MCT predicts quantitatively various properties of the time correlation functions and transport coefficients such as viscosity near the glass transition point. However, it has been long believed that MCT can not describe the most essential feature of the glass transition, i.e. the dynamic heterogeneities (see Chapter 7 of Ref.[3]). The reason is that MCT is thought to be a kind of the mean field description of the glass transition and, thus, should not be able to describe the heterogeneous distribution of fluctuations. This notion is misleading; recall, for example, that the mean-filed theory can describe the length scale of the critical fluctuations in the conventional critical phenomena, if approximately. In my talk, I shall explain the recently proposed idea to extend MCT to describe the length scale associated with the dynamic heterogeneities [4]. Basic idea and sketch of derivation of the theory, physical implication of the results, and comparison with simulation results will be elucidated.
References and suggested reading
- D. R. Reichman and P. Charbonneau, J. Stat. Mech. (2005) P05013.
- K. Binder and W. Kob, “Glassy Materials and Disordered Solids” (World Scientific, 2005), Section 5-2.
- A. Cavagna, Physics Report 476, 51 (2009). http://arxiv.org/abs/0903.4264
- G. Biroli, J-P. Bouchaud, K. Miyazaki, and D. R. Reichman, Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 195701 (2006).