Role of unstable directions in the equilibrium and aging dynamics of supercooled liquids
The connectivity of the potential energy landscape in supercooled atomic liquids is investigated through a calculation of the instantaneous normal modes spectrum and a detailed analysis of the unstable directions in configuration space. We confirm the hypothesis that the mode-coupling critical temperature is the T at which the dynamics crosses over from free to activated exploration of configuration space. We also observe changes in the local connectivity of configuration space sampled during aging, following a temperature jump from a liquid to a glassy state.
Donati
C
Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita' di Roma "La Sapienza", Istituto Nazionale per la Fisica della Materia, Piazzale Aldo Moro 2, I-00185, Roma, Italy.
Sciortino
F
Tartaglia
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