Crystallization in the vicinity of dynamical arrest

TL;DR

This paper presents a lattice model that captures the complex crystallization behavior near dynamical arrest in colloidal systems, reproducing key phenomena and the interplay between arrested dynamics and nucleation.

Contribution

The authors introduce a simple lattice model that effectively simulates crystallization and glassy dynamics near arrest, addressing limitations of traditional models.

Findings

Model reproduces signatures of glass-forming systems

Captures interplay between arrested dynamics and nucleation

Aligns with experimental anomalies in colloidal crystallization

Abstract

Dating from experiments more than 20 years ago, it has been realized that the crystallization of hard colloidal particles in the vicinity of dynamical arrest has several anomalies, that render the conventional nucleation and growth model inappropriate. Subsequently, key researchers have shown the influence of gravity. Here we show that a simple lattice model can capture most of the phenomena associated with such systems. In particular, the model reproduces not only characteristic signatures of glass-forming systems, but also the interplay between quasi arrested dynamics and crystal nucleation.