Ludovic Berthier, Montpellier University

Glass transition and amorphous solids (12h)

1. Why is glassy dynamics an interesting physics problem? Dynamical slowing down, thermodynamic signatures, growing lengthscales, dynamic heterogeneity.

2. Theoretical approaches: Kinetically constrained models, mean-field theory, computer simulations.

3. Configurational entropy: Definition, problems, paradoxes, practical measurements, point-to-set correlation length scale.

4. The amorphous solid: Rheology and yielding, the Gardner phase, two-level systems, low-frequency modes, connection to jamming.

5. Active materials: Experimental motivations, nonequilibrium glass transitions, mapping to equilibrium, effective temperatures.