Glassy dynamics and domains: explicit results for the East model

A general matrix-based scheme for analyzing the long-time dynamics in kinetically constrained models such as the East model is presented. The treatment developed here is motivated by the expectation that slowly relaxing spin domains of arbitrary size govern the highly cooperative events that lead to spin relaxation at long times. To account for the role of large spin domains in the dynamics, a complete basis expressed in terms of domains of all sizes is introduced. It is first demonstrated that accounting for single domains of all possible sizes leads to a simple analytical result for the two-time single-spin correlation function in the East model that is in excellent quantitative agreement with simulation data for equilibrium spin-up density values c > or = 0.6. It is then shown that including also two neighboring domains leads to a closed expression that describes the slow relaxation of the system down to c approximately 0.3. Ingredients of generalizing the method to lower values of c are also provided, as well as to other models. The main advantage of this approach is that it gives explicit analytical results and that it requires neither an arbitrary closure for the memory kernel nor the construction of an irreducible memory kernel. It also allows one to calculate quantities that measure heterogeneity in the same framework, as is illustrated on the neighbor-pair correlation function, the average relaxation time, and the width of the distribution of relaxation times.