Idealized glass transitions under pressure: dynamics versus thermodynamics

TL;DR

This paper investigates how the glass transition's dynamics and thermodynamics are affected by attractions in dense liquids, revealing that thermodynamic differences do not alter dynamics, with implications for high-pressure glass experiments.

Contribution

It demonstrates that thermodynamic variations due to attractions do not influence the glass transition dynamics, supported by mode-coupling theory and a simple square-well model.

Findings

Thermodynamic behavior varies with attractions, but dynamics remain unchanged.

High-pressure experiments on glassy liquids are affected by thermodynamics but not dynamics.

A simple model explains experimental features of glass transitions.

Abstract

The interplay of slow dynamics and thermodynamic features of dense liquids is studied by examinining how the glass transition changes depending on the presence or absence of Lennard-Jones-like attractions. Quite different thermodynamic behavior leaves the dynamics unchanged, with important consequences for high-pressure experiments on glassy liquids. Numerical results are obtained within mode-coupling theory (MCT), but the qualitative features are argued to hold more generally. A simple square-well model can be used to explain generic features found in experiment.