Aging in Glassy Ring Polymer Systems: Insight from Molecular Simulations

Abstract

Glassy systems are ubiquitous in nature, appearing in materials ranging from window glass to biological matter. These systems are non-crystalline solids that structurally resemble liquids but exhibit extremely slow dynamics. In this talk, I will focus on a particular class of glassy materials known as topological glass formers—systems composed of ring polymers. We investigate how aging influences the dynamics of these systems and explore how their behavior changes across the temperature–stiffness phase space. Interestingly, we find a nonlinear relationship between the glass transition temperature and the stiffness of the rings. A central role is played by threading interactions—entanglement-like constraints unique to ring polymers, which become increasingly long-lived as the system ages. Together, these features give rise to a distinct form of glassy dynamics that emerges purely from the system’s topology.