Mermin–Wagner fluctuations in 2D amorphous solids

Abstract

In a recent commentary, J. M. Kosterlitz described how D. Thouless and he got motivated to investigate melting and suprafluidity in two dimensions [Kosterlitz JM (2016) J Phys Condens Matter 28:481001]. It was due to the lack of broken translational symmetry in two dimensions-doubting the existence of 2D crystalsand the first computer simulations foretelling 2D crystals (at least in tiny systems). The lack of broken symmetries proposed by D. Mermin and H. Wagner is caused by long wavelength density fluctuations. Those fluctuations do not only have structural impact, but additionally a dynamical one: They cause the Lindemann criterion to fail in 2D in the sense that the mean squared displacement of atoms is not limited. Comparing experimental data from 3D and 2D amorphous solids with 2D crystals, we disentangle Mermin-Wagner fluctuations from glassy structural relaxations. Furthermore, we demonstrate with computer simulations the logarithmic increase of displacements with system size: Periodicity is not a requirement for Mermin-Wagner fluctuations, which conserve the homogeneity of space on long scales.Mermin-Wagner fluctuations | 2D ensembles | glass transition | phase transition | confined geometry F or structural phase transitions, it is well known that the microscopic mechanisms breaking symmetry are not the same in two and in three dimensions. Whereas 3D systems typically show first-order transitions with phase equilibrium and latent heat, 2D crystals melt via two steps with an intermediate hexatic phase. Unlike in 3D, translational and orientational symmetry are not broken at the same temperature in 2D. The scenario is described within the Kosterlitz, Thouless, Halperin, Nelson, Young (KTHNY) theory (1-5), which was confirmed (e.g., in colloidal monolayers) (6, 7). However, for the glass transition, it is usually assumed that dimensionality does not play a role for the characteristics of the transition, and 2D and 3D systems are frequently used synonymously (8-12), whereas differences between the 2D and 3D glass transition are reported in ref. 13.In the present work, we compare data from colloidal crystals and glasses and show that Mermin-Wagner fluctuations, well known from 2D crystals, are also present in amorphous solids (14, 15). Mermin-Wagner fluctuations are usually discussed in the framework of long-range order (magnetic or structural). However, in the context of 2D crystals, they have also had an impact on dynamic quantities like mean squared displacements (MSDs). Long before 2D melting scenarios were discussed, there was an intense debate as to whether crystals and perfect longrange order (including magnetic order) can exist in 1D or 2D at all (16)(17)(18)(19). A beautiful heuristic argument was given by Peierls (17): Consider a 1D chain of particles with nearest neighbor interaction. The relative distance fluctuation between particle n and particle n + 1 at finite temperature may be ξ. Similar is the fluctuation between particle n + 1 and n + 2. The relative fluctuation between second nearest neig...

Glass transitions may be similar in two and three dimensions, after all

“…These new "cage-relative" functions are expected to be less sensitive to the long-wavelength fluctuations that cause a displacement of the particles along with their environment. In 2D, these functions indeed display a change in time that is now slower than the conventional translational functions (1, 2), and Illing et al (2) give indications that the associated time scale is comparable to that of the bond-orientational functions. In contrast, the cage-relative and conventional translational correlation functions are not significantly different in 3D.…”

“…New theoretical tools and predictions do emerge, new phenomena are unveiled, and clever experiments are nonetheless carried out. In this vein, the two recent experimental papers in PNAS by Vivek et al (1) and Illing et al (2) convincingly address an issue at the junction of two fundamental questions in glass physics: the role of the dimensionality of space on the glass transition and the possible existence of long-wavelength fluctuations in 2D amorphous solids.…”

“…They are also stimulating as they raise new questions and open avenues for further experimental and numerical investigations. Among the fundamental issues triggered by the studies in Vivek et al and Illing et al (1,2) are the theoretical foundations of these Mermin-Wagner fluctuations in 2D glassformers and the possible interference with other types of fluctuations. As stressed above, the observed glass transition is not a bona fide phase transition and notions such as rigidity and solidity for glasses still require some more robust theoretical underpinning.…”

“…The strength of the soft-matter systems studied in Vivek et al and Illing et al (1,2), with big and slow colloidal particles that one can track in space and time at an individual level, comes with a down side for what concerns glass formation. The slowing down of dynamics with decreasing temperature or increasing concentration cannot be probed over more than four to five orders-of-magnitude in relaxation time (much like computer simulation studies of liquid models).…”

Unveiling Dimensionality Dependence of Glassy Dynamics: 2D Infinite Fluctuation Eclipses Inherent Structural Relaxation

“…Finally, the plateau disappears for N = 256 000. Cage-relative MSDs (CR-MSDs) |∆r CR (t)| 2 [35][36][37] are also plotted for 2D SC with N ≤ 64 000. CR-MSD is defined as the averaged mean-square of the displacement ∆r i,CR (t) that is relative to the center of mass of neighboring particles, and its significance will be addressed later.…”