Particle jumps in structural glasses
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Updated: Mar 31, 2026

Glass-Based Devices to Generate Drops and Emulsions
Published on: April 5, 2022
Massimo Pica Ciamarra1, Raffaele Pastore2, Antonio Coniglio2
1Division of Physics and Applied Physics, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore and CNR-SPIN, Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, University of Napoli Federico II, Italy. pastore@na.infn.it coniglio@na.infn.it.
Abstract:
Particles in structural glasses rattle around temporary equilibrium positions, that seldom change through a process which is much faster than the relaxation time, known as particle jump. Since the relaxation of the system is due to the accumulation of many such jumps, it could be possible to connect the single particle short time motion to the macroscopic relaxation by understanding the features of the jump dynamics. Here we review recent results in this research direction, clarifying the features of particle jumps that have been understood and those that are still under investigation, and examining the role of particle jumps in different theories of the glass transition.
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