Complexity as the driving force for glassy transitions

Abstract

The glass transition is considered within two toys models, a mean field spin glass and a directed polymer in a correlated random potential. In the spin glass model there occurs a dynamical transition, where the system condenses in a state of lower entropy. The extensive entropy loss, called complexity or information entropy, is calculated by analysis of the metastable (TAP) states. This yields a well behaved thermodynamics of the dynamical transition. The multitude of glassy states also implies an extensive difference between the internal energy fluctuations and the specific heat. In the directed polymer problem there occurs a thermodynamic phase transition in non-extensive terms of the free energy. At low temperature the polymer condenses in a set of highly degenerate metastable states.

Lecture given at Sitges Conference, June 10 1996; 12 pages epsf{lamuphys} style; one .eps figure