Activated dynamics: an intermediate model between REM and p-spin

Abstract

In order to study the activated dynamics of mean-field glasses, which takes place on times of order exp(N), where N is the system size, we introduce a new model, the Correlated Random Energy Model (CREM), that allows for a smooth interpolation between the REM and the p-spin models. We study numerically and analytically the CREM in the intermediate regime between REM and p-spin. We fully characterize its energy landscape, which is like a golf-course but, at variance with the REM, has metabasins (or holes) containing several configurations. We find that an effective trap-like description for the dynamics emerges, provided that one identifies metabasins in the CREM with configurations in the trap model.