On the separation of time scales close to a glass transition: results from quench studies of the next-nearest-neighbour Ising model

Abstract

Simulated quench studies of the next-nearest-neighbour (nnn) Ising model demonstrate the separation of time scales corresponding to the order parameter of the ground states and to the orientational order parameter as the value of the nnn interaction parameter approaches the critical value at which the glass transition occurs. Simply defined characteristic times, corresponding to both short-time processes (fast dynamics) and long-time processes (slow dynamics), are used to illustrate this separation and to elucidate the nature of the glass transition for this model. In particular, it is shown that the orientational order parameter remains nonzero at low temperature even at the critical value of the nnn interaction parameter (i.e., for K = Kc). Implications for the study of nonequilibrium effects in systems with striped ground states are discussed.