Interaction-induced light scattering near the glass transition: A computer simulation study

Abstract

The relationships between dipole-induced dipole (DID) light scattering spectra and other dynamical properties of a fluid close to the glass transition were studied in a computer simulation of a highly supercooled binary atomic fluid. The predictions of the mode coupling theory (MCT) of the glass transition, which relates spectral features in the DID spectra to the relaxation of Fourier components of the density, were examined in detail. The MCT account of the origin of the α and β peaks in the spectra was confirmed, thereby corroborating recent experimental findings. Other issues examined included the role played by compositional fluctuations, the coupling of the DID polarizability to shear waves, and the influence of the range of the intermolecular polarizability on interaction-induced spectra near to the glass transition.