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  • Letter
  • Open Access

Glass transition in colloidal monolayers controlled by light-induced caging

Abolfazl Ahmadirahmat1, Michele Caraglio1, Vincent Krakoviack2, and Thomas Franosch1,*

  • *Contact author: thomas.franosch@uibk.ac.at
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Phys. Rev. E 112, L013401 – Published 10 July, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/3bmx-ldr8

Abstract

We theoretically investigate the glass-transition problem for a quasi-two-dimensional colloidal dense suspension modulated by a one-dimensional periodic external potential as imposed by interfering laser beams. Relying on a mode-coupling approach, we examine the nonequilibrium-state diagram for hard disks as a function of the density and the period of the modulation for various potential strengths. The competition between the local packing and the distortion of the cages induced by the potential leads to a striking nonmonotonic behavior of the glass-transition line, which allows melting of a glass state merely by changing the external fields. In particular, we find regions in the nonequilibrium-state diagram where a moderate periodic modulation stabilizes the liquid state.

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Mode-coupling theory of the glass transition for a liquid in a periodic potential

Abolfazl Ahmadirahmat, Michele Caraglio, Vincent Krakoviack, and Thomas Franosch
Phys. Rev. E 112, 015405 (2025)

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Phys. Rev. E 112, L013401– Published 10 July, 2025
  • Received 7 August 2024
  • Revised 13 June 2025
  • Accepted 16 June 2025
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.

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