A divergent correlation length in off-equilibrium glasses

TL;DR

This paper introduces a dynamical correlation length in off-equilibrium glasses, which is predicted to diverge over time in the glassy phase, supported by numerical simulations of binary mixtures.

Contribution

It proposes a new dynamical correlation length concept and provides numerical evidence for its divergence in glassy systems.

Findings

Dynamical correlation length grows over time in off-equilibrium glasses

Numerical simulations support the divergence prediction

Correlation length relates to atomic movement regions

Abstract

In off-equilibrium dynamics we define a dynamical correlation length which is proportional to the size of the region in which the atoms move in a correlated way. General arguments indicate that this dynamical correlation length diverges at large times in the glassy phase. Numerical simulations for binary mixtures point toward the correctness of this prediction.