Relationship between non-exponentiality of relaxation and relaxation time at the glass transition

Abstract

By analyzing the experimental data for various glass-forming liquids and polymers, we find that non-exponentiality $β$ and the relaxation time $τ$ are uniquely related: $\log(τ)$ is an approximately linear function of $1/β$, followed by a crossover to a higher linear slope. We rationalize the observed relationship using a recently developed approach, in which the problem of the glass transition is discussed as the elasticity problem.