Long Wavelength Fluctuations and the Glass Transition in 2D and 3D

TL;DR

This study investigates how dimensionality affects the glass transition in colloidal systems, revealing that long-wavelength fluctuations influence particle motion differently in 2D and 3D, but do not fundamentally alter the glass transition process.

Contribution

It demonstrates that long-wavelength fluctuations impact particle displacements in 2D but do not cause a fundamental difference in the glass transition compared to 3D.

Findings

Large displacements in 2D without neighbor changes

Long-wavelength fluctuations influence phase transitions in 2D

Relative particle motion near the glass transition is similar in 2D and 3D

Abstract

Phase transitions significantly differ between two-dimensional and three-dimensional systems, but the influence of dimensionality on the glass transition is unresolved. We use microscopy to study colloidal systems as they approach their glass transitions at high concentrations, and find differences between 2D and 3D. We find that in 2D particles can undergo large displacements without changing their position relative to their neighbors, in contrast with 3D. This is related to Mermin-Wagner long-wavelength fluctuations that influence phase transitions in 2D. However, when measuring particle motion only relative to their neighbors, 2D and 3D have similar behavior as the glass transition is approached, showing that the long wavelength fluctuations do not cause a fundamental distinction between 2D and 3D glass transitions.