Glass transition for dipolar hard spheres: A mode-coupling approach

Abstract

Abstract We apply the self-consistent mode-coupling equations, which were recently derived for molecular liquids, to a system of dipolar hard spheres. Making use of the direct correlation function in a mean spherical approximation and with a restriction of the rotational quantum number 1 to zero and one, we find three different phases in the η—T phase space. η and T denote the packing fraction and the temperature respectively. There is one phase where both the transitional degrees of freedom (TDOFs) and the orientational degrees of freedom (ODOFs) are ergodic (liquid), another phase with frozen TDOFs and ergodic ODOFs, and a third phase where TDOFs and ODOFs are frozen (glass). The dynamical transitions between these phases are discussed.