Generalized Einstein Relation in an aging colloidal glass

We present an experimental investigation of the Generalized Einstein Relation (GER), a particular form of a fluctuation-dissipation relation, in an out-of-equilibrium visco-elastic fluid. Micrometer beads, used as thermometers, are immersed in an aging colloidal glass to provide both fluctuation and dissipation measurements. The deviations from the Generalized Einstein Relation are derived as a function of frequency and aging time. The observed deviations are interpreted as directly related to the change in the glass relaxation times with aging time. In our scenario, deviations are observed in the regime where the observation timescale is of the order of a characteristic relaxation time of the glass. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.