Higher-order glass-transition singularities in systems with short-ranged attractive potentials

TL;DR

This paper uses mode-coupling theory to identify higher-order glass-transition singularities in systems with short-range attractive potentials, revealing similarities and differences in critical properties across various models.

Contribution

It extends mode-coupling theory to analyze A_4 singularities in diverse short-range attractive particle systems, highlighting universal and model-specific features.

Findings

Critical packing fractions are similar across models.

Elastic moduli and localization lengths vary up to 20% and 10%.

Critical amplitudes and Debye-Waller factors are closely aligned.

Abstract

Within the mode-coupling theory for the evolution of structural relaxation, the A_4 glass-transition singularities are identified for systems of particles interacting with a hard-sphere repulsion complemented by different short-ranged potentials: Baxter's singular potential regularized by a large-wave-vector cutoff, a model for the Asakura-Oosawa depletion attraction, a triangular potential, a Yukawa attraction, and a square-well potential. The regular potentials yield critical packing fractions, critical Debye-Waller factors and critical amplitudes very close to each other. The elastic moduli and the particle's localization lengths for corresponding states of the Yukawa system and the square-well system may differ by up to 20% and 10%, respectively.