Out-of-equilibrium dynamics in a Gaussian trap model

The violations of the fluctuation-dissipation theorem are analysed for a trap model with a Gaussian density of states. In this model, the system reaches thermal equilibrium for long times after a quench to any finite temperature and therefore all ageing effect are of a transient nature. For not too long times after the quench it is found that the so-called fluctuation-dissipation ratio tends to a non-trivial limit, thus indicating the possibility for the definition of a timescale-dependent effective temperature. However, different definitions of the effective temperature yield distinct results. In particular, plots of the integrated response versus the correlation function strongly depend on the way they are constructed. Also the definition of effective temperatures in the frequency domain is not unique for the model considered. This may have some implications for the interpretation of results from computer simulations and experimental determinations of effective temperatures.