Crystal Nucleation in a Supercooled Liquid with Glassy Dynamics

Abstract

In simulations of supercooled, high-density liquid silica we study a range of temperature T in which we find both crystal nucleation, as well as the characteristic dynamics of a glass forming liquid, including a breakdown of the Stokes-Einstein relation. We find that the liquid cannot be observed below a homogeneous nucleation limit (HNL) at which the liquid crystallizes faster than it can equilibrate. We show that the HNL would occur at lower T, and perhaps not at all, if the Stokes-Einstein relation were obeyed, and hence that glassy dynamics plays a central role in setting a crystallization limit on the liquid state in this case. We also explore the relation of the HNL to the Kauzmann temperature, and test for spinodal-like effects near the HNL.