Spatial Dimensionality Dependence of Heterogeneity, Breakdown of the Stokes-Einstein Relation, and Fragility of a Model Glass-Forming Liquid

We investigate the heterogeneity of dynamics, the breakdown of the Stokes-Einstein relation and fragility in a model glass forming liquid, a binary mixture of soft spheres with a harmonic interaction potential for spatial dimensions from 3 to 8. The dynamical heterogeneity is quantified through the dynamical susceptibility chi(4) and the non-Gaussian parameter alpha(2). We find that the fragility, the degree of breakdown of the Stokes-Einstein relation, and the heterogeneity of the dynamics decrease with increasing spatial dimensionality. We briefly describe the dependence of fragility on the density and use it to resolve an apparent inconsistency with previous results.

Automated summary

The study investigates the heterogeneity of dynamics, the breakdown of the Stokes-Einstein relation, and fragility in a model glass forming liquid consisting of a binary mixture of soft spheres with harmonic interaction potential in spatial dimensions ranging from 3 to 8. It is found that fragility, the degree of Stokes-Einstein relation breakdown, and dynamics heterogeneity decrease as spatial dimensionality increases. The dependency of fragility on density is briefly discussed to reconcile a perceived inconsistency with previous findings.