Models of hierarchically constrained dynamics for glassy relaxation.
01 January 1984
A class of models for relaxation in strongly interacting glassy materials is suggested. Degrees of freedom are divided into a sequence of levels such that those in level n+1 are locked except when some of those in level n find the right combination to release them, representing the hierarchy of constraints in real systems. The Kohlrausch anomalous relaxation law (exp[- (t/tau)beta]) emerges naturally, as does the Vogel- Fulcher law for temperature dependence.