A General Structural Order Parameter for the Amorphous Solidification of a Supercooled Liquid

TL;DR

This paper introduces a universal atomic-level order parameter based on normal modes to describe amorphous solidification, capturing differences between fragile and strong liquids and simplifying the understanding of the glass transition.

Contribution

It proposes a novel order parameter derived from normal modes that quantifies atomic restraint during solidification, applicable across different liquid types.

Findings

Distinguishes fragile and strong liquids using the order parameter.

Provides a simplified, systematic framework for amorphous solidification.

Links microscopic atomic restraints to macroscopic solidification behavior.

Abstract

The persistent problem posed by the glass transition is to develop a general atomic level description of a solidification process that is not associated with any change in the symmetry of the atomic structure. The answer proposed in this paper is t measure a configuration's capacity to restrain the motion of the constituent atoms. Here we show that the instantaneous normal modes can be used to define a measure of atomic restraint that accounts for the difference between fragile and strong liquids and the collective length scale of the supercooled liquid. These results represent a significant simplification of the description of amorphous solidification and provide a powerful systematic treatment of the influence of microscopic factors on the formation of the amorphous solid.