Abstract
The role of frustration and quenched disorder in driving the transformation of a crystal into a glass is investigated in quasi-two-dimensional binary colloidal suspensions. Frustration is induced by added smaller particles. The crystal-glass transition is measured to differ from the liquid-glass transition in quantitative and qualitative ways. The crystal-glass transition bears structural signatures similar to those of the crystal-fluid transition: at the transition point, the persistence of orientational order decreases sharply from quasilong range to short range, and the orientational order susceptibility exhibits a maximum. The crystal-glass transition also features a sharp variation in particle dynamics: at the transition point, dynamic heterogeneity grows rapidly, and a dynamic correlation length scale increases abruptly.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 015701 |
Journal | Physical Review Letters |
Volume | 104 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 8 Jan 2010 |
Externally published | Yes |