Long-wavelength fluctuations and anomalous dynamics in 2-dimensional liquids

Abstract

Long-wavelength Mermin-Wagner fluctuations prevent the existence of translational long-range order, in two-dimensional systems at finite temperature. Their dynamical signature, which is the divergence of the vibrational amplitude with the system size, also affects disordered solids and washes out the transient solid-like response generally exhibited by liquids cooled below their melting temperature. Through a combined numerical and experimental investigation, here we show that long-wavelength fluctuations are also relevant at high temperature, where the liquid dynamics does not reveal a transient solid-like response. In this regime, they induce an unusual but ubiquitous decoupling between long-time diffusion coefficient D and structural relaxation time τ, where D ∝ τ^-κ, with κ > 1. Long-wavelength fluctuations have a negligible influence on the relaxation dynamics only at extremely high temperatures, in molecular liquids, or extremely low densities, in colloidal systems.