Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 1, 2026

Cooling Rate Dependent Ellipsometry Measurements to Determine the Dynamics of Thin Glassy Films
Published on: January 26, 2016
First-principles prediction of multiple stationary states in glass-forming liquids
J Lira-Escobedo1, D Varela-Varela2, P Mendoza-Méndez3
1Instituto de Física "Manuel Sandoval Vallarta", Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Álvaro Obregón 64, 78000 San Luis Potosí, Mexico.
Abstract:
In the present work, the Non-Equilibrium Self-Consistent Generalized Langevin Equation (NESCGLE) theory is used to predict the final state of glass-forming liquids subjected to different cooling processes. We show that the NESCGLE theory correctly describes two essential features of the glass transition. Such features are the structural recovery and the dependence of the final state with the cooling rate. We demonstrate that below a particular temperature Tc, the system is unable to equilibrate, independently of the cooling rate. We show that the equilibrium state is only reached for the quasistatic process. Additionally, we show how, from the NESCGLE theory, it is possible to deduce a relaxation model of structural recovery, for which we obtain molecular expressions of the parameters.
Related Concept Videos
First Law: Particles in One-dimensional Equilibrium
First Law: Particles in Two-dimensional Equilibrium
Newton's first law tells us about...
Molecular Comparison of Gases, Liquids, and Solids
States of Matter
Scientists have discovered a fourth state of matter, plasma, that occurs naturally in the interiors...
Phase Transitions: Vaporization and Condensation
States of Matter and Phase Changes

