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Fractal free energy landscapes in structural glasses

Author

Listed:
  • Patrick Charbonneau

    (Duke University
    Duke University
    LPT, École Normale Supérieure, UMR 8549 CNRS, 24 Rue Lhomond)

  • Jorge Kurchan

    (LPS, École Normale Supérieure, UMR 8550 CNRS, 24 Rue Lhomond)

  • Giorgio Parisi

    (Sapienza Università di Roma, P.le A. Moro 2
    INFN, Sezione di Roma I, IPFC—CNR, P.le A. Moro 2)

  • Pierfrancesco Urbani

    (IPhT, CEA/DSM-CNRS/URA 2306, CEA Saclay)

  • Francesco Zamponi

    (LPT, École Normale Supérieure, UMR 8549 CNRS, 24 Rue Lhomond)

Abstract

Glasses are amorphous solids whose constituent particles are caged by their neighbours and thus cannot flow. This sluggishness is often ascribed to the free energy landscape containing multiple minima (basins) separated by high barriers. Here we show, using theory and numerical simulation, that the landscape is much rougher than is classically assumed. Deep in the glass, it undergoes a ‘roughness transition’ to fractal basins, which brings about isostaticity and marginal stability on approaching jamming. Critical exponents for the basin width, the weak force distribution and the spatial spread of quasi-contacts near jamming can be analytically determined. Their value is found to be compatible with numerical observations. This advance incorporates the jamming transition of granular materials into the framework of glass theory. Because temperature and pressure control what features of the landscape are experienced, glass mechanics and transport are expected to reflect the features of the topology we discuss here.

Suggested Citation

  • Patrick Charbonneau & Jorge Kurchan & Giorgio Parisi & Pierfrancesco Urbani & Francesco Zamponi, 2014. "Fractal free energy landscapes in structural glasses," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 5(1), pages 1-6, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:5:y:2014:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms4725
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms4725
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    Cited by:

    1. Sunny Gupta & Xiaochen Yang & Gerbrand Ceder, 2023. "What dictates soft clay-like lithium superionic conductor formation from rigid salts mixture," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-8, December.
    2. Kyeyune-Nyombi, Eru & Morone, Flaviano & Liu, Wenwei & Li, Shuiqing & Gilchrist, M. Lane & Makse, Hernán A., 2018. "High-resolution of particle contacts via fluorophore exclusion in deep-imaging of jammed colloidal packings," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 490(C), pages 1387-1395.
    3. Zhang, Dongjian & Ma, Qihua & Dong, Hailiang & Liao, He & Liu, Xiangyu & Zha, Yibin & Zhang, Xiaoxiao & Qian, Xiaomin & Liu, Jin & Gan, Xuehui, 2023. "Time-delayed feedback bistable stochastic resonance system and its application in the estimation of the Polyester Filament Yarn tension in the spinning process," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    4. Leo Zella & Jaeyun Moon & Takeshi Egami, 2024. "Ripples in the bottom of the potential energy landscape of metallic glass," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-7, December.

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