ABSTRACTWhile traditional dynamic light scattering is useful for following structural relaxation in the liquid, in the glassy domain the technique is limited by the ultimate patience of the experimentalist; i.e., the structural relaxation can not be measured when the experimental time scale is less than the structural relaxation time. Nevertheless, we show how useful information regarding structural relaxation can be accessed from light scattering in the glass using a novel ensemble-averaged technique. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements performed on glass forming orthoterphenyl show an inequality between time and ensemble average correlation functions near and below the calorimetrie glass transition temperature, Tg, and hence demonstrate ergodicity breaking. Our ensemble averaged measurements provide a measure of the so-called non-ergodicity parameter, fq, below Tg. Our DLS results for orthoterphenyl indicate that the functional form for fq is consistent with Mode Coupling theory predictions, but occurs at the glass transition temperature, Tg≈243K, rather than at TC≈290K as observed in neutron scattering studies.
Structural relaxation and mode coupling in a non-glassforming liquid: depolarized light scattering in benzene
