An energy landscape model for glass forming liquids in three dimensions

TL;DR

This paper introduces a 3D lattice-gas model with simple thermodynamics but complex dynamics, capturing key features of viscous liquids such as non-exponential relaxation and non-Arrhenius behavior at high densities and low temperatures.

Contribution

The model uniquely combines trivial thermodynamics with nontrivial dynamics through individual random energy landscapes for particles.

Findings

Reproduces viscous liquid dynamics at high densities and low temperatures.

Displays non-exponential relaxation in density auto-correlation functions.

Shows non-Arrhenius behavior in diffusion and relaxation times.

Abstract

We present a three-dimensional lattice-gas model with trivial thermodynamics, but nontrivial dynamics. The model is characterized by each particle having its own random energy landscape. The equilibrium dynamics of the model were investigated by continuous time Monte Carlo simulations at two different densities at several temperatures. At high densities and low temperatures the model captures the important characteristics of viscous liquid dynamics. We thus observe non-exponential relaxation in the self part of the density auto-correlation function, and fragility plots of the self-diffusion constant and relaxation times show non-Arrhenius behavior.