Structural and dynamical properties of sodium silicate melts: An investigation by molecular dynamics computer simulation

We present the results of large scale computer simulations in which we investigate the static and dynamic properties of sodium disilicate and sodium trisilicate melts. We study in detail the static properties of these systems, namely the coordination numbers, the temperature dependence of the Q^(n) species and the static structure factor, and compare them with experiments. We show that the structure is described by a partially destroyed tetrahedral SiO_4 network and the homogeneously distributed sodium atoms which are surrounded on average by 16 silicon and other sodium atoms as nearest neighbors. We compare the diffusion of the ions in the sodium silicate systems with that in pure silica a…

Replica-exchange molecular dynamics simulation for supercooled liquids

We investigate to what extend the replica-exchange Monte Carlo method is able to equilibrate a simple liquid in its supercooled state. We find that this method does indeed allow to generate accurately the canonical distribution function even at low temperatures and that its efficiency is about 10-100 times higher than the usual canonical molecular dynamics simulation.

Finite-size scaling at the dynamical transition of the mean-field 10-state Potts glass

We use Monte Carlo simulations to study the static and dynamical properties of a Potts glass with infinite range Gaussian distributed exchange interactions for a broad range of temperature and system size up to N=2560 spins. The results are compatible with a critical divergence of the relaxation time tau at the theoretically predicted dynamical transition temperature T_D, tau \propto (T-T_D)^{-\Delta} with Delta \approx 2. For finite N a further power law at T=T_D is found, tau(T=T_D) \propto N^{z^\star} with z^\star \approx 1.5 and for T>T_D dynamical finite-size scaling seems to hold. The order parameter distribution P(q) is qualitatively compatible with the scenario of a first order glas…

Amorphous silica modeled with truncated and screened Coulomb interactions: A molecular dynamics simulation study

We show that finite-range alternatives to the standard long-range BKS pair potential for silica might be used in molecular dynamics simulations. We study two such models that can be efficiently simulated since no Ewald summation is required. We first consider the Wolf method, where the Coulomb interactions are truncated at a cutoff distance r_c such that the requirement of charge neutrality holds. Various static and dynamic quantities are computed and compared to results from simulations using Ewald summations. We find very good agreement for r_c ~ 10 Angstroms. For lower values of r_c, the long--range structure is affected which is accompanied by a slight acceleration of dynamic properties…

Scaling behavior in the $\beta$-relaxation regime of a supercooled Lennard-Jones mixture

We report the results of a molecular dynamics simulation of a supercooled binary Lennard-Jones mixture. By plotting the self intermediate scattering functions vs. rescaled time, we find a master curve in the $\beta$-relaxation regime. This master curve can be fitted well by a power-law for almost three decades in rescaled time and the scaling time, or relaxation time, has a power-law dependence on temperature. Thus the predictions of mode-coupling-theory on the existence of a von Schweidler law are found to hold for this system; moreover, the exponents in these two power-laws are very close to satisfying the exponent relationship predicted by the mode-coupling-theory. At low temperatures, t…

Testing Mode-Coupling Theory for a Supercooled Binary Lennard-Jones Mixture I: The van Hove Correlation Function

We report the results of a large scale computer simulation of a binary supercooled Lennard-Jones liquid. We find that at low temperatures the curves for the mean squared displacement of a tagged particle for different temperatures fall onto a master curve when they are plotted versus rescaled time $tD(T)$, where $D(T)$ is the diffusion constant. The time range for which these curves follow the master curve is identified with the $\alpha$-relaxation regime of mode-coupling theory (MCT). This master curve is fitted well by a functional form suggested by MCT. In accordance with idealized MCT, $D(T)$ shows a power-law behavior at low temperatures. The critical temperature of this power-law is t…

Growing length scales in a supercooled liquid close to an interface

We present the results of molecular dynamics computer simulations of a simple glass former close to an interface between the liquid and the frozen amorphous phase of the same material. By investigating F_s(q,z,t), the incoherent intermediate scattering function for particles that have a distance z from the wall, we show that the relaxation dynamics of the particles close to the wall is much slower than the one for particles far away from the wall. For small z the typical relaxation time for F_s(q,z,t) increases like exp(Delta/(z-z_p)), where Delta and z_p are constants. We use the location of the crossover from this law to the bulk behavior to define a first length scale tilde{z}. A differe…

The relaxation dynamics of a supercooled liquid confined by rough walls

We present the results of molecular dynamics computer simulations of a binary Lennard-Jones liquid confined between two parallel rough walls. These walls are realized by frozen amorphous configurations of the same liquid and therefore the structural properties of the confined fluid are identical to the ones of the bulk system. Hence this setup allows us to study how the relaxation dynamics is affected by the pure effect of confinement, i.e. if structural changes are completely avoided. We find that the local relaxation dynamics is a strong function of z, the distance of the particles from the wall, and that close to the surface the typical relaxation times are orders of magnitude larger tha…

Classical and ab-initio molecular dynamic simulation of an amorphous silica surface

We present the results of a classical molecular dynamic simulation as well as of an ab initio molecular dynamic simulation of an amorphous silica surface. In the case of the classical simulation we use the potential proposed by van Beest et al. (BKS) whereas the ab initio simulation is done with a Car-Parrinello method (CPMD). We find that the surfaces generated by BKS have a higher concentration of defects (e.g. concentration of two-membered rings) than those generated with CPMD. In addition also the distribution functions of the angles and of the distances are different for the short rings. Hence we conclude that whereas the BKS potential is able to reproduce correctly the surface on the …

Equilibrating Glassy Systems with Parallel Tempering

We discuss the efficiency of the so-called parallel tempering method to equilibrate glassy systems also at low temperatures. The main focus is on two structural glass models, SiO2 and a Lennard-Jones system, but we also investigate a fully connected 10 state Potts-glass. By calculating the mean squared displacement of a tagged particle and the spin-autocorrelation function, we find that for these three glass-formers the parallel tempering method is indeed able to generate, at low temperatures, new independent configurations at a rate which is O(100) times faster than more traditional algorithms, such as molecular dynamics and single spin flip Monte Carlo dynamics. In addition we find that t…

Molecular Dynamics Simulations

A tutorial introduction to the technique of Molecular Dynamics (MD) is given, and some characteristic examples of applications are described. The purpose and scope of these simulations and the relation to other simulation methods is discussed, and the basic MD algorithms are described. The sampling of intensive variables (temperature T, pressure p) in runs carried out in the microcanonical (NVE) ensemble (N= particle number, V = volume, E = energy) is discussed, as well as the realization of other ensembles (e.g. the NVT ensemble). For a typical application example, molten SiO2, the estimation of various transport coefficients (self-diffusion constants, viscosity, thermal conductivity) is d…

Static and dynamical properties of a supercooled liquid confined in a pore

We present the results of a Molecular Dynamics computer simulation of a binary Lennard-Jones liquid confined in a narrow pore. The surface of the pore has an amorphous structure similar to that of the confined liquid. We find that the static properties of the liquid are not affected by the confinement, while the dynamics changes dramatically. By investigating the time and temperature dependence of the intermediate scattering function we show that the dynamics of the particles close to the center of the tube is similar to the one in the bulk, whereas the characteristic relaxation time tau_q(T,rho) of the intermediate scattering function at wavevector q and distance rho from the axis of the p…

Specific Heat of Amorphous Silica within the Harmonic Approximation

We investigate to what extent the specific heat of amorphous silica can be calculated within the harmonic approximation. For this we use molecular dynamics computer simulations to calculate, for a simple silica model (the BKS potential), the velocity autocorrelation function and hence an effective density of states g(ν). We find that the harmonic approximation is valid for temperatures below 300 K but starts to break down at higher temperatures. We show that, to obtain a reliable description of the low-frequency part of g(ν), i.e., where the boson peak is observed, it is essential to use large systems for the simulations and small cooling rates to quench the samples. We find that the calcul…

Computer Simulations of the Dynamics of Amorphous Silica

We present the results of a large scale computer simulation we performed to investigate the dynamical properties of supercooled silica. We show that parallel supercomputers such as the CRAY-T3E are very well suited to solve these type of problems. We find that at low temperatures the transport properties such as the diffusion constants and the viscosity agree well with the experimental data. At high temperatures this simulation predicts that in the transport quantities significant deviations from the Arrhenius law should be observed. Finally we show that such types of simulations can be used to investigate also complex dynamical quantities, such as the dynamical structure factor, and that t…

Water adsorption on amorphous silica surfaces: A Car-Parrinello simulation study

A combination of classical molecular dynamics (MD) and ab initio Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics (CPMD) simulations is used to investigate the adsorption of water on a free amorphous silica surface. From the classical MD SiO_2 configurations with a free surface are generated which are then used as starting configurations for the CPMD.We study the reaction of a water molecule with a two-membered ring at the temperature T=300K. We show that the result of this reaction is the formation of two silanol groups on the surface. The activation energy of the reaction is estimated and it is shown that the reaction is exothermic.

Small-Angle Excess Scattering: Glassy Freezing or Local Orientational Ordering?

We present Monte Carlo simulations of a dense polymer melt which shows glass-transition-like slowing-down upon cooling, as well as a build up of nematic order. At small wave vectors q this model system shows excess scattering similar to that recently reported for light-scattering experiments on some polymeric and molecular glass-forming liquids. For our model system we can provide clear evidence that this excess scattering is due to the onset of short-range nematic order and not directly related to the glass transition.

ChemInform Abstract: Specific Heat of Amorphous Silica within the Harmonic Approximation.

We investigate to what extent the specific heat of amorphous silica can be calculated within the harmonic approximation. For this we use molecular dynamics computer simulations to calculate, for a simple silica model (the BKS potential), the velocity autocorrelation function and hence an effective density of states g(ν). We find that the harmonic approximation is valid for temperatures below 300 K but starts to break down at higher temperatures. We show that, to obtain a reliable description of the low-frequency part of g(ν), i.e., where the boson peak is observed, it is essential to use large systems for the simulations and small cooling rates to quench the samples. We find that the calcul…

Aging as dynamics in configuration space

The relaxation dynamics of many disordered systems, such as structural glasses, proteins, granular materials or spin glasses, is not completely frozen even at very low temperatures. This residual motion leads to a change of the properties of the material, a process commonly called aging. Despite recent advances in the theoretical description of such aging processes, the microscopic mechanisms leading to the aging dynamics are still a matter of dispute. In this Letter we investigate the aging dynamics of a simple glass former by means of molecular dynamics computer simulation. Using the concept of the inherent structure we give evidence that aging dynamics can be understood as a decrease of …

Testing Mode-Coupling Theory for a Supercooled Binary Lennard-Jones Mixture II: Intermediate Scattering Function and Dynamic Susceptibility

We have performed a molecular dynamics computer simulation of a supercooled binary Lennard-Jones system in order to compare the dynamical behavior of this system with the predictions of the idealized version of mode-coupling theory (MCT). By scaling the time $t$ by the temperature dependent $\alpha$-relaxation time $\tau(T)$, we find that in the $\alpha$-relaxation regime $F(q,t)$ and $F_s(q,t)$, the coherent and incoherent intermediate scattering functions, for different temperatures each follows a $q$-dependent master curve as a function of scaled time. We show that during the early part of the $\alpha$-relaxation, which is equivalent to the late part of the $\beta$-relaxation, these mast…

Glass physics: still not transparent

Glass is a commonplace word. One immediately thinks of windows or bottles and of properties like brittleness or transparency. However, for a glass blower another feature is more important: glass does not melt abruptly, as a crystal does, but gradually over a range of temperatures. This means that he or she can alter the temperature at which glass solidifies or becomes a liquid by changing the rate at which it is cooled or heated. This is in stark contrast to the behaviour observed when the crystalline form of a material is heated: it will always melt at the same temperature.

Inherent structure entropy of supercooled liquids

We present a quantitative description of the thermodynamics in a supercooled binary Lennard Jones liquid via the evaluation of the degeneracy of the inherent structures, i.e. of the number of potential energy basins in configuration space. We find that for supercooled states, the contribution of the inherent structures to the free energy of the liquid almost completely decouples from the vibrational contribution. An important byproduct of the presented analysis is the determination of the Kauzmann temperature for the studied system. The resulting quantitative picture of the thermodynamics of the inherent structures offers new suggestions for the description of equilibrium and out-of-equilib…

Quantitative tests of mode-coupling theory for fragile and strong glass-formers

We calculate for a binary mixture of Lennard-Jones particles the time dependence of the solution of the mode-coupling equations in which the full wave vector dependence is taken into account. In addition we also take into account the short time dynamics, which we model with a simple memory kernel. We find that the so obtained solution agrees very well with the time and wave vector dependence of the coherent and incoherent intermediate scattering functions as determined from molecular dynamics computer simulations. Furthermore we calculate the wave vector dependence of the Debye-Waller factor for a realistic model of silica and compare these results with the ones obtained from a simulation o…

The relaxation dynamics of a simple glass former confined in a pore

We use molecular dynamics computer simulations to investigate the relaxation dynamics of a binary Lennard-Jones liquid confined in a narrow pore. We find that the average dynamics is strongly influenced by the confinement in that time correlation functions are much more stretched than in the bulk. By investigating the dynamics of the particles as a function of their distance from the wall, we can show that this stretching is due to a strong dependence of the relaxation time on this distance, i.e. that the dynamics is spatially very heterogeneous. In particular we find that the typical relaxation time of the particles close to the wall is orders of magnitude larger than the one of particles …

Investigating the cooling rate dependence of amorphous silica: A computer simulation study

We use molecular dynamics computer simulations to study the dependence of the properties of amorphous silica on the cooling rate with which the glass has been produced. In particular we show that the density, the glass transition temperature, the radial distribution function and the distribution of the size of the rings depend on the cooling rate.

Dynamics of a Supercooled Lennard-Jones System: Qualitative and Quantitative Tests of Mode-Coupling Theory

We present the results of a molecular dynamics computer simulation of a supercooled binary Lennard-Jones mixture. By investigating the temperature dependence of the diffusion constant and of the intermediate scattering function, we show that the ideal version of the mode-coupling theory of the glass transition is able to give a good qualitative description of the dynamics of this system. Using the partial structure factors, as determined from the simulation, as input, we solve the mode-coupling equations in the long time limit. From the comparison of the prediction of the theory for the critical temperature, the exponent parameter, the wave-vector dependence of the nonergodicity parameters …

New fitting scheme to obtain effective potential from Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics simulations: Application to silica

A fitting scheme is proposed to obtain effective potentials from Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics (CPMD) simulations. It is used to parameterize a new pair potential for silica. MD simulations with this new potential are done to determine structural and dynamic properties and to compare these properties to those obtained from CPMD and a MD simulation using the so-called BKS potential. The new potential reproduces accurately the liquid structure generated by the CPMD trajectories, the experimental activation energies for the self-diffusion constants and the experimental density of amorphous silica. Also lattice parameters and elastic constants of alpha-quartz are well-reproduced, showing th…

Multiscale Computer Simulations in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology: The Example Of Silica

We show to what extent molecular dynamics simulations (MD) can explore struc-tural and dynamic properties of atomic systems whereby the system under consideration is amorphous silica (SiO2). Two studies are presented: (i) a large scale simulation of the dynam-ics of a SiO2 melt and (ii) the investigation of free silica surfaces where a mixture of a classical MD and a Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics is used.

Evidence against a glass transition in the 10-state short range Potts glass

We present the results of Monte Carlo simulations of two different 10-state Potts glasses with random nearest neighbor interactions on a simple cubic lattice. In the first model the interactions come from a \pm J distribution and in the second model from a Gaussian one, and in both cases the first two moments of the distribution are chosen to be equal to J_0=-1 and Delta J=1. At low temperatures the spin autocorrelation function for the \pm J model relaxes in several steps whereas the one for the Gaussian model shows only one. In both systems the relaxation time increases like an Arrhenius law. Unlike the infinite range model, there are only very weak finite size effects and there is no evi…

Static and dynamic glass transitions in the 10-state Potts glass: What can Monte Carlo simulations contribute?

The p-state Potts glass with infinite range Gaussian interactions can be solved exactly in the thermodynamic limit and exhibits an unconventional phase behavior if p >4: A dynamical transition from ergodic to non-ergodic behavior at a temperature T D is followed by a first order transition at T 0 < T D, where a glass order parameter appears discontinuously, although the latent heat is zero. If one assumes that a similar scenario occurs for the structural glass transition as well (though with the singular behavior at T D rounded off), the p-state Potts glass should be a good test case to develop methods to deal with finite size effects for the static as well as the dynamic transition, and to…

Cooperative motion and growing length scales in supercooled confined liquids

Using molecular dynamics simulations we investigate the relaxation dynamics of a supercooled liquid close to a rough as well as close to a smooth wall. For the former situation the relaxation times increase strongly with decreasing distance from the wall whereas in the second case they strongly decrease. We use this dependence to extract various dynamical length scales and show that they grow with decreasing temperature. By calculating the frequency dependent average susceptibility of such confined systems we show that the experimental interpretation of such data is very difficult.

The high-temperature dynamics of a mean-field Potts glass

Abstract We use Monte Carlo simulations to investigate the dynamic properties of the ten-state infinite-range Potts glass. By analyzing the spin autocorrelation function for system sizes up to N = 2560, we show that strong finite size effects are present around the predicted dynamic transition temperature. The autocorrelation function shows strong self-averaging at high temperatures, whereas close to the dynamic transition shows lack of self-averaging.

Computer Simulation of Molten and Glassy Silica and its Mixtures with Sodium Oxide and Aluminium Oxide

Atomistic Simulation of Transport Phenomena in Simple and Complex Fluids and Fluid Mixtures

Computer simulations of fluids in thermal equilibrium can yield information on transport coefficients such as self—diffusion and interdiffusion coefficients, viscosity, and thermal conductivity. While the estimation of self—diffusion coefficients from the mean square displacements of the respective particles is rather straightforward, the estimation of other transport coefficients is less straightforward, and can be based on either an analysis of time correlation functions of the appropriate collective variables, or on nonequilibrium techniques where the linear response to appropriate perturbations is measured.

How Does the Relaxation of a Supercooled Liquid Depend on Its Microscopic Dynamics?

Using molecular dynamics computer simulations we investigate how the relaxation dynamics of a simple supercooled liquid with Newtonian dynamics differs from the one with a stochastic dynamics. We find that, apart from the early beta-relaxation regime, the two dynamics give rise to the same relaxation behavior. The increase of the relaxation times of the system upon cooling, the details of the alpha-relaxation, as well as the wave vector dependence of the Edwards-Anderson-parameters are independent of the microscopic dynamics.

The relaxation dynamics of a viscous silica melt: II The intermediate scattering functions

We use molecular dynamics computer simulations to study the relaxation dynamics of a viscous melt of silica. The coherent and incoherent intermediate scattering functions, F_d(q,t) and F_s(q,t), show a crossover from a nearly exponential decay at high temperatures to a two-step relaxation at low temperatures. Close to the critical temperature of mode-coupling theory (MCT) the correlators obey in the alpha-regime the time temperature superposition principle (TTSP) and show a weak stretching. We determine the wave-vector dependence of the stretching parameter and find that for F_d(q,t) it shows oscillations which are in phase with the static structure factor. The temperature dependence of the…

Fluctuation dissipation ratio in an aging Lennard-Jones glass

By using extensive Molecular Dynamics simulations, we have determined the violation of the fluctuation-dissipation theorem in a Lennard-Jones liquid quenched to low temperatures. For this we have calculated $X(C)$, the ratio between a one particle time-correlation function $C$ and the associated response function. Our results are best fitted by assuming that $X(C)$ is a discontinuous, piecewise constant function. This is similar to what is found in spin systems with one step replica symmetry breaking. This strengthen the conjecture of a similarity between the phase space structure of structural glasses and such spin systems.

The Importance of Intermediate Range Order in Silicates: Molecular Dynamics Simulation Studies

We present the results of large scale computer simulations in which we investigate the structural and dynamic properties of silicate melts with the compositions (Na2O)2(SiO2) and (Al2O3)2(Si02). In order to treat such systems on a time scale of several nanoseconds and for system sizes of several thousand atoms it is necessary to use parallel supercomputers like the CRAY T3E. We show that the silicates under consideration exhibit additional intermediate range order as compared to silica (SiO2) where the characteristic intermediate length scales stem from the tetrahedral network structure. For the sodium silicate system it is demonstrated that the latter structural features are intimately con…

Ergodicity breaking in a mean field Potts glass: A Monte Carlo investigation

We use Monte Carlo simulations, single spin-flip as well as parallel tempering techniques to investigate the 10-state fully connected Potts glass for system sizes of up to N = 2560. We find that the α-relaxation shows a strong dependence on N and that for the system sizes considered the system remains ergodic even at temperatures below T D , the dynamical critical temperature for this model. However, if one uses the data for the finite size systems, such as the relaxation times or the time dependence of the spin autocorrelation function, and extrapolates them to the thermodynamic limit, one finds that they are indeed compatible with the results for N = ∞ (which are known from analytical cal…

Channel Formation and Intermediate Range Order in Sodium Silicate Melts and Glasses

We use inelastic neutron scattering and molecular dynamics simulation to investigate the interplay between the structure and the fast sodium ion diffusion in various sodium silicates. With increasing temperature and decreasing density the structure factors exhibit an emerging prepeak around 0.9 A^-1. We show, that this prepeak has its origin in the formation of sodium rich channels in the static structure. The channels serve as preferential ion conducting pathways in the relative immobile Si-O matrix. On cooling below the glass transition this intermediate range order is frozen in.

Dynamics of the rotational degrees of freedom in a supercooled liquid of diatomic molecules

Using molecular dynamics computer simulations, we investigate the dynamics of the rotational degrees of freedom in a supercooled system composed of rigid, diatomic molecules. The interaction between the molecules is given by the sum of interaction-site potentials of the Lennard-Jones type. In agreement with mode-coupling theory (MCT), we find that the relaxation times of the orientational time correlation functions C_1^(s), C_2^(s) and C_1 show at low temperatures a power-law with the same critical temperature T_c, and which is also identical to the critical temperature for the translational degrees of freedom. In contrast to MCT we find, however, that for these correlators the time-tempera…

Amorphous Silica at Surfaces and Interfaces: Simulation Studies

The structure of surfaces and interfaces of silica (SiO2) is investigated by large scale molecular dynamics computer simulations. In the case of a free silica surface, the results of a classical molecular dynamics simulation are compared to those of an ab initio method, the Car—Parrinello molecular dynamics. This comparative study allows to check the accuracy of the model potential that underlies the classical simulation. By means of a pure classical MD, the interface between amorphous and crystalline SiO2 is investigated, and as a third example the structure of a silica melt between walls is studied in equilibrium and under shear. We show that in the latter three examples important structu…

Kob and Barrat Reply:

This is a Reply to the Comment of Muessel and Rieger cond-mat/9804063 to out paper on ``Aging Effects in a Lennerd-Jones Glass''. We show that the scaling function proposed by Muessel and Rieger does not lead to a satisfactory scaling of our aging data.

Test of mode coupling theory for a supercooled liquid of diatomic molecules. II.q-dependent orientational correlators

Using molecular dynamics computer simulations we study the dynamics of a molecular liquid by means of a general class of time-dependent correlators S_{ll'}^m(q,t) which explicitly involve translational (TDOF) and orientational degrees of freedom (ODOF). The system is composed of rigid, linear molecules with Lennard- Jones interactions. The q-dependence of the static correlators S_{ll'}^m(q) strongly depend on l, l' and m. The time dependent correlators are calculated for l=l'. A thorough test of the predictions of mode coupling theory (MCT) is performed for S_{ll}^m(q,t) and its self part S_{ll}^{(s)m}(q,t), for l=1,..,6. We find a clear signature for the existence of a single temperature T…

The dynamics of sodium in sodium disilicate: Channel relaxation and sodium diffusion

We use molecular dynamics computer simulations to study the dynamics of amorphous (Na_2O)2(SiO_2). We find that the Na ions move in channels embedded in a SiO_2 matrix. The characteristic distance between these channels gives rise to a prepeak in the structure factor at around q=0.95 A^-1. The dynamics of sodium is given by a fast process which can be seen in the incoherent scattering function and a slow process which is seen in the coherent function. The relaxation time of the latter coincides with the alpha-relaxation time of the matrix. The Kohlrausch exponent of the fast process for q&gt;1.6 A^1 is the same as the von Schweidler exponent for the slow one, demonstrating that the two proc…

Dynamical Heterogeneities Below the Glass Transition

We present molecular dynamics simulations of a binary Lennard-Jones mixture at temperatures below the kinetic glass transition. The ``mobility'' of a particle is characterized by the amplitude of its fluctuation around its average position. The 5% particles with the largest/smallest mean amplitude are thus defined as the relatively most mobile/immobile particles. We investigate for these 5% particles their spatial distribution and find them to be distributed very heterogeneously in that mobile as well as immobile particles form clusters. The reason for this dynamic heterogeneity is traced back to the fact that mobile/immobile particles are surrounded by fewer/more neighbors which form an ef…

Dynamical heterogeneities in a supercooled Lennard-Jones liquid

We present the results of a large scale molecular dynamics computer simulation study in which we investigate whether a supercooled Lennard-Jones liquid exhibits dynamical heterogeneities. We evaluate the non-Gaussian parameter for the self part of the van Hove correlation function and use it to identify ``mobile'' particles. We find that these particles form clusters whose size grows with decreasing temperature. We also find that the relaxation time of the mobile particles is significantly shorter than that of the bulk, and that this difference increases with decreasing temperature.

Scaling behavior in the dynamics of a supercooled Lennard-Jones mixture

We present the results of a large scale molecular dynamics computer simulation of a binary, supercooled Lennard-Jones fluid. At low temperatures and intermediate times the time dependence of the intermediate scattering function is well described by a von Schweidler law. The von Schweidler exponent is independent of temperature and depends only weakly on the type of correlator. For long times the correlation functions show a Kohlrausch behavior with an exponent $\beta$ that is independent of temperature. This dynamical behavior is in accordance with the mode-coupling theory of supercooled liquids.

A quantitative test of the mode-coupling theory of the ideal glass transition for a binary Lennard-Jones system

Using a molecular dynamics computer simulation we determine the temperature dependence of the partial structure factors for a binary Lennard-Jones system. These structure factors are used as input data to solve numerically the wave-vector dependent mode-coupling equations in the long time limit. Using the so determined solutions, we compare the predictions of mode-coupling theory (MCT) with the results of a previously done molecular dynamics computer simulation [Phys. Rev. E 51, 4626 (1995), ibid. 52, 4134 (1995)]. From this comparison we conclude that MCT gives a fair estimate of the critical coupling constant, a good estimate of the exponent parameter, predicts the wave-vector dependence …

Aging and the fluctuation dissipation ratio in a Lennard-Jones fluid

We discuss numerically the relaxation dynamics of a simple structural glass which has been quenched below its (computer) glass transition temperature. We demonstrate that time correlation functions show strong aging effects and compute the fluctuation dissipation ratio of this non-equilibrium system.

Modeling glass materials

Abstract Structural and dynamic properties of silicate melts and glasses (SiO 2 and its mixtures with Na 2 O and Al 2 O 3 ) are derived from Molecular Dynamics simulations and compared to pertinent experimental data. It is shown that these mixtures exhibit additional intermediate order as compared to pure silica, where the characteristic length scales stem from the tetrahedral network structure. While sodium ions show much faster diffusion through percolating channels than the silicon and oxygen ions forming the surrounding network, aluminium ions are incorporated into the network (leading to tricluster formation) and do not show such an enhanced mobility.

Stringlike Cooperative Motion in a Supercooled Liquid

Extensive molecular dynamics simulations are performed on a glass-forming Lennard-Jones mixture to determine the nature of the cooperative motions occurring in this model fragile liquid. We observe stringlike cooperative molecular motion (``strings'') at temperatures well above the glass transition. The mean length of the strings increases upon cooling, and the string length distribution is found to be nearly exponential.

Some Finite Size Effects in Simulations of Glass Dynamics

We present the results of a molecular dynamics computer simulation in which we investigate the dynamics of silica. By considering different system sizes, we show that in simulations of the dynamics of this strong glass former surprisingly large finite size effects are present. In particular we demonstrate that the relaxation times of the incoherent intermediate scattering function and the time dependence of the mean squared displacement are affected by such finite size effects. By compressing the system to high densities, we transform it to a fragile glass former and find that for that system these types of finite size effects are much weaker.

Static and dynamic properties of a viscous silica melt

We present the results of a large scale molecular dynamics computer simulation in which we investigated the static and dynamic properties of a silica melt in the temperature range in which the viscosity of the system changes from ${O(10}^{\ensuremath{-}2})$ P to ${O(10}^{2})$ P. We show that even at temperatures as high as 4000 K the structure of this system is very similar to the random tetrahedral network found in silica at lower temperatures. The temperature dependence of the concentration of the defects in this network shows an Arrhenius law. From the partial structure factors we calculate the neutron scattering function and find that it agrees very well with experimental neutron scatte…

Computer simulation of models for the structural glass transition

In order to test theoretical concepts on the glass transition, we investigate several models of glassy materials by means of Monte Carlo (MC) and Molecular Dynamics (MD) computer simulations. It is shown that also simplified models exhibit a glass transition which is in qualitative agreement with experiment and that thus such models are useful to study this phenomenon. However, the glass transition temperture as well as the structural properties of the frozen-in glassy phase depend strongly on the cooling history, and the extrapolation to the limit of infinitely slow cooling velocity is nontrivial, which makes the identification of the (possible) underlying equilibrium transition very diffi…

Test of mode coupling theory for a supercooled liquid of diatomic molecules.I. Translational degrees of freedom

A molecular dynamics simulation is performed for a supercooled liquid of rigid diatomic molecules. The time-dependent self and collective density correlators of the molecular centers of mass are determined and compared with the predictions of the ideal mode coupling theory (MCT) for simple liquids. This is done in real as well as in momentum space. One of the main results is the existence of a unique transition temperature T_c, where the dynamics crosses over from an ergodic to a quasi-nonergodic behavior. The value for T_c agrees with that found earlier for the orientational dynamics within the error bars. In the beta- regime of MCT the factorization of space- and time dependence is satisf…

Thermodynamics of supercooled liquids in the inherent structure formalism: a case study

In this article we review the thermodynamics of liquids in the framework of the inherent structure formalism. We then present calculations of the distribution of the basins in the potential energy of a binary Lennard-Jones mixture as a function of temperature. The comparison between the numerical data and the theoretical formalism allows us to evaluate the degeneracy of the inherent structures in a bulk system and to estimate the energy of the lowest energy disordered state (the Kauzmann energy). We find that, around the mode-coupling temperature, the partition function of the liquid is approximated well by the product of two loosely coupled partition functions, one depending on the inheren…

The structural relaxation of molten sodium disilicate

We use molecular dynamics computer simulations to study the relaxation dynamics of Na2O-2(SiO2) in its molten, highly viscous state. We find that at low temperatures the incoherent intermediate scattering function for Na relaxes about 100 times faster than the one of the Si and O atoms. In contrast to this all coherent functions relax on the same time scale if the wave-vector is around 1AA^-1. This anomalous relaxation dynamics is traced back to the channel-like structure for the Na atoms that have been found for this system. We find that the relaxation dynamics for Si and O as well as the time dependence of the coherent functions for Na can be rationalized well by means of mode-coupling th…

Aging Effects in a Lennard-Jones Glass

Using molecular dynamics simulations we study the out of equilibrium dynamic correlations in a model glass-forming liquid. The system is quenched from a high temperature to a temperature below its glass transition temperature and the decay of the two-time intermediate scattering function C(t_w,t+t_w) is monitored for several values of the waiting time t_w after the quench. We find that C(t_w,t+t_w) shows a strong dependence on the waiting time, i.e. aging, depends on the temperature before the quench and, similar to the case of spin glasses, can be scaled onto a master curve.

Simulation of Models for the Glass Transition: Is There Progress?

The glass transition of supercooled fluids is a particular challenge for computer simulation, because the (longest) relaxation times increase by about 15 decades upon approaching the transition temperature T g. Brute-force molecular dynamics simulations, as presented here for molten SiO2 and coarse-grained bead-spring models of polymer chains, can yield very useful insight about the first few decades of this slowing down. Hence this allows to access the temperature range around T c of the so-called mode coupling theory, whereas the dynamics around the experimental glass transition is completely out of reach. While methods such as “parallel tempering” improve the situation somewhat, a method…

The Dynamics of Supercooled Silica: Acoustic modes and Boson peak

Using molecular dynamics computer simulations we investigate the dynamics of supercooled silica in the frequency range 0.5-20~THz and the wave-vector range 0.13-1.1\AA^{-1}. We find that for small wave-vectors the dispersion relations are in very good agreement with the ones found in experiments and that the frequency at which the boson-peak is observed shows a maximum at around 0.39\AA^{-1}.

Dynamics of a Supercooled Lennard-Jones System: Qualitative and Quantitative Tests of Mode-Coupling Theory

Using a molecular dynamics computer simulation we investigate the dynamics of a supercooled binary Lennard-Jones mixture. At low temperatures this dynamics can be described very well by the ideal version of mode-coupling theory. In particular we find that at low temperatures the diffusion constants show a power-law behavior, that the intermediate scattering functions obey the time temperature superposition principle, and that the various relaxation times show a power-law behavior. By solving the wave-vector dependent mode-coupling equations we demonstrate that the prediction of the theory for the wave-vector dependence of the nonergodicity parameters and the r-dependence of the critical amp…

COOLING RATE DEPENDENCE AND DYNAMIC HETEROGENEITY BELOW THE GLASS TRANSITION IN A LENNARD–JONES GLASS

We investigate a binary Lennard-Jones mixture with molecular dynamics simulations. We consider first a system cooled linearly in time with the cooling rate gamma. By varying gamma over almost four decades we study the influence of the cooling rate on the glass transition and on the resulting glass. We find for all investigated quantities a cooling rate dependence; with decreasing cooling rate the system falls out of equilibrium at decreasing temperatures, reaches lower enthalpies and obtains increasing local order. Next we study the dynamics of the melting process by investigating the most immobile and most mobile particles in the glass. We find that their spatial distribution is heterogene…

The dynamics of melts containing mobile ions: computer simulations of sodium silicates

We present the results of large-scale computer simulations in order to discuss the structural and dynamic properties of sodium silicate melts with the compositions (Na2O)2(SiO2) (NS2) and (Na2O)20(SiO2) (NS20). We show that, compared to silica (SiO2), these systems exhibit additional intermediate range order on intermediate length scales that stem from the tetrahedral network structure. By means of intermediate-scattering functions, we characterize the dynamics of sodium in the system under consideration. Whereas in NS2 the incoherent scattering functions for Na decay much faster to zero than the coherent ones for Na–Na, in NS20 this different behaviour of the incoherent and coherent functi…

The interplay between structure and ionic motions in glasses

We present research examples that demonstrate how molecular dynamics simulations of real materials have reached a high level of sophistication. For simplicity, we focus on examples taken from our own research-although many other groups have done similarly valuable work on other systems and problems.

Spatial correlations of mobility and immobility in a glass-forming Lennard-Jones liquid

Using extensive molecular dynamics simulations of an equilibrium, glass-forming Lennard-Jones mixture, we characterize in detail the local atomic motions. We show that spatial correlations exist among particles undergoing extremely large (``mobile'') or extremely small (``immobile'') displacements over a suitably chosen time interval. The immobile particles form the cores of relatively compact clusters, while the mobile particles move cooperatively and form quasi-one-dimensional, stringlike clusters. The strength and length scale of the correlations between mobile particles are found to grow strongly with decreasing temperature, and the mean cluster size appears to diverge near the mode-cou…

Influence of Confining Walls on the Dynamics of Supercooled Simple Liquids

The relaxation dynamics of supercooled liquids in the bulk shows many features that are not seen in the dynamics of liquids at elevated temperatures, such as a very slow decay of the time-correlation functions, stretching, etc. The dynamics of liquids that are close to a surface (free space, confining wall, etc.) is even more complex in that the stretching is increased and in that there is evidence for the presence of multiple time scales. In this paper we review some results of recent molecular dynamics computer simulations in which we investigated the dynamics of a simple glass forming liquid in the vicinity of a wall. Two types of walls axe studied: A rough one and a smooth one. We find …

Intermediate Range Order in Silicate Melts and Glasses: Computer Simulation Studies

ABSTRACTWe present the results of large scale computer simulations to discuss the structural and dynamic properties of silicate melts with the compositions (Na2O)(2·SiO2), (Na2O)(20·SiO2) and (Al2O3)(2·SiO2). We show that these systems exhibit additional intermediate range order as compared to silica (SiO2) where the characteristic intermediate length scales stem from the tetrahedral network structure. Furthermore we show that the sodium dynamics in the sodium silicate systems exhibits a very peculiar feature: the long–time decay of the incoherent intermediate scattering function can be described by a Kohlrausch law with a constant exponent β for q &gt; qth whereby qth is smaller than the l…

Testing mode-coupling theory for a supercooled binary Lennard-Jones mixture

Abstract We have performed a molecular dynamics computer simulation study to investigate the dynamical behavior of a supercooled simple liquid for comparison with the predictions of mode-coupling theory (MCT). By scaling the intermediate scattering function by the α-relaxation time r we find that the correlators fall onto a master curve extending over several decades in time. Thus we find that the time temperature superposition principle holds. In the late β-relaxation regime this master curve can be fitted very well by a master curve predicted by the idealized version MCT. However, there is no evidence for the presence of the critical decay predicted by the theory for the early part of the…

Cooling-rate effects in amorphous silica: A computer-simulation study

Using molecular dynamics computer simulations we investigate how in silica the glass transition and the properties of the resulting glass depend on the cooling rate with which the sample is cooled. By coupling the system to a heat bath with temperature $T_b(t)$, we cool the system linearly in time, $T(t)=T_i-\gamma t$, where $\gamma$ is the cooling rate. We find that the glass transition temperature $T_g$ is in accordance with a logarithmic dependence on the cooling rate. In qualitative accordance with experiments, the density shows a local maximum, which becomes more pronounced with decreasing cooling rate. The enthalpy, density and the thermal expansion coefficient for the glass at zero t…

Fluctuations, response and aging dynamics in a simple glass-forming liquid out of equilibrium

By means of molecular dynamics computer simulations we investigate the out of equilibrium relaxation dynamics of a simple glass former, a binary Lennard-Jones system, after a quench to low temperatures. We study both one time quantities and two-times correlation functions. Two-times correlation functions show a strong time and waiting time $t_w$ dependence. For large $t_w$ and times corresponding to the early $\beta$-relaxation regime the correlators approach the Edwards-Anderson value by means of a power-law in time. at long times $\tau$ the correlation functions can be expressed as $C_{\rm AG}(h(t_w+\tau)/h(t_w))$ and compute the function $h(t)$. This function is found to show a $t$-depen…

Molecular Dynamics Computer Simulation of Cooling Rate Effects in a Lennard-Jones Glass

We present the results of a molecular dynamics computer simulation of a binary Lennard-Jones mixture. We simulate a quench of the system from a liquid state at high temperatures to a glass state at zero temperature by coupling the system to a heat bath that has a temperature that decreases linearly (with slope -γ) with time. We investigate how the residual density of the system varies as a function of the cooling rate γ and rationalize our results by means of the dependence of the coordination number of the particles on the cooling rate.