Role Of Quantum Effects In The Glass Transition

It is shown that quantum effects lead to a significant decrease of the glass transition temperature Tg with respect to the melting temperature Tm, so that the ratio Tg/Tm can be much smaller than the typical value of 2/3 in materials where Tg is near or below ~ 60 K. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the viscosity or structural relaxation time in such low temperature glassformers should exhibit highly unusual temperature dependence, namely a decrease of theapparent activation energy upon approaching Tg (instead of traditional increase). The paper can be downloaded through 2015 from: link.aps.org/accepted/10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.065701