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Activity statistics in a colloidal glass former: Experimental evidence for a dynamical transition
Bérengère Abou1, Rémy Colin1, Vivien Lecomte2
1Laboratoire Matière et Systèmes Complexes, UMR 7057 CNRS-P7, Université Paris Diderot, 10 Rue Alice Domon et Léonie Duquet, 75205 Paris Cedex 13, France.
The Journal of Chemical Physics
|May 3, 2018
Summary
Researchers studied tracer particle movement in dense colloidal suspensions. They found rare, low-activity events indicate the onset of glassy behavior and potential dynamic phase transitions.
Area of Science:
- Soft Matter Physics
- Materials Science
- Statistical Mechanics
Background:
- Dense colloidal suspensions exhibit complex dynamics near the glass transition.
- Understanding heterogeneous dynamics is crucial for predicting material properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between local activity and glassy dynamics in colloidal suspensions.
- To identify the origins of rare dynamic events and their connection to phase transitions.
Main Methods:
- Tracking trajectories of tracer particles in a dense colloidal suspension below the glass transition.
- Defining and quantifying local activity based on particle rearrangement.
- Analyzing the statistics of time-integrated local activity.
Main Results:
- A low-activity tail was observed in the statistics of time-integrated activity.
- This low-activity tail correlates with the emergence of glassy-like behavior.
- Heterogeneous dynamics and rare events were identified as key indicators.
Conclusions:
- Rare, low-activity events are significant indicators of glassy dynamics in colloidal systems.
- These events may represent a dynamic phase transition.
- The findings provide insights into the fundamental mechanisms governing disordered materials.
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