Eric R Weeks et al 2007 J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 19 205131 doi:10.1088/0953-8984/19/20/205131
Eric R Weeks1, John C Crocker2 and D A Weitz3
Show affiliationsWe use a confocal microscope to examine the motion of individual particles in a dense colloidal suspension. Close to the glass transition, particle motion is strongly spatially correlated. The correlations decay exponentially with particle separation, yielding a dynamic length scale of O(2–3σ) (in terms of particle diameter σ). This length scale grows modestly as the glass transition is approached. Further, the correlated motion exhibits a strong spatial dependence on the pair correlation function g(r). Motion within glassy samples is weakly correlated, but with a larger spatial scale for this correlation.
82.70.Kj Emulsions and suspensions
Soft matter, liquids and polymers
Issue 20 (23 May 2007)
Received 6 October 2006
Published 25 April 2007
Eric R Weeks et al 2007 J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 19 205131
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