Translational and rotational molecular motion in supercooled liquids studied by NMR and forced Rayleigh scattering

It has been shown that translational diffusion coefficients, Dt, in the supercooled van der Waals liquids, orthoterphenyl, phenolphthaleindimethylether, and salol, have a weaker temperature dependence than the shear viscosity, η, at T ≲ 1.2Tg and can be described by Dt ∼ η−χ with χ < 1 whereas Dr ∼ η−1 applies for the mean rotational diffusion coefficients, Dr, down to the glass transition temperature, Tg. This apparent decoupling of translational and rotational motion has been discussed in relation with possible anomalous short time diffusion, spatial heterogeneity, and cooperative molecular motions close to Tg.