Polydispersity-driven dynamical differences between two- and three-dimensional supercooled liquids.

Pihlajamaa, Ilian; van Gessel, Lotte S; Laudicina, Corentin C L; van Burik, Luc J; Janssen, Liesbeth M C · Phys Rev E · 2025

basic_science · Level V

Where this comes from

Abstract

The dynamics of supercooled liquids and glasses are widely believed to be similar in two and three dimensions. However, our study challenges this assumption by showing that polydispersity-driven relaxation dynamics differ drastically across dimensions. We resolve an apparent contradiction in prior work by demonstrating that standard corrections for Mermin-Wagner fluctuations obscure size-dependent relaxation in two dimensions. Furthermore, our analysis of mobile particle clusters reveals distinct growth mechanisms, with three-dimensional systems favoring sparse, small-particle-dominated clusters, while two-dimensional systems exhibit more cooperative, size-agnostic rearrangements.