Nanometer Scale Dielectric Fluctuations at the Glass Transition

1998/07/08 by E. Vidal Russell, N. E. Israeloff, L. E. Walther +1 · 5 citations
Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Force Microscopy Techniques and Applications #Material Dynamics and Properties #Mechanical and Optical Resonators #cond-mat.dis-nn

paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.81.1461

published as Phys. Rev. Lett., 81, 1461 (1998). · 4 pages, 4 embedded PS figures, RevTeX - To appear in Phys. Rev. Lett

arxiv created 1998/07/08 · openalex publication_date 1998/08/17 · arxiv updated 2009/11/30 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

Using noncontact scanning probe microscopy techniques, dielectric properties were studied on 50 nm length scales in polyvinyl-acetate films in the vicinity of the glass transition. Low frequency (1/f) noise observed in the measurements was shown to arise from thermal fluctuations of the electric polarization. Anomalous variations observed in the noise spectrum provide direct evidence for cooperative nanoregions with heterogeneous kinetics. The cooperative length scale was determined. Heterogeneity was long lived only well below the glass transition for faster than average processes.

Citations

• On the Temperature Dependence of Cooperative Relaxation Properties in Glass-Forming Liquids
• Models of Hierarchically Constrained Dynamics for Glassy Relaxation

Cited by

• Intermittency of glassy relaxation and the emergence of a non-equilibrium spontaneous measure in the aging regime
• Direct observation of molecular cooperativity near the glass transition
• Out-of-equilibrium dynamical fluctuations in glassy systems
• Energy landscape picture of supercooled liquids: Application of a generalized random energy model
• Dynamic Criticality in Glass-Forming Liquids