Speaker
Zohar Nussinov
Description
We review the underpinning of the microcanonical ensemble and the
more refined (and explicitly quantum) "Eigenstate Thermalization
Hypothesis". We then find and apply a simple corollary of these to
analyze the evolution of a liquid upon supercooling to form a
structural glass.
Simple theoretical considerations lead to predictions for general
properties of supercooled liquids. Amongst other things, a collapse of
the viscosity of glass formers is predicted from this theory. This
collapse indeed occurs over 16 decades of relaxation times for all
known types of glass formers.
