Glass Transition and Relaxation (2025)

Welcome to Glass Transition and Relaxation

Description: Glasses are non-crystalline solids, which continually relax toward their equilibrium liquid state due to their non-equilibrium nature. They are prepared by rapid quenching from the molten state, since the viscosity increase during cooling prevents crystallization and thus promotes glass formation. However, despite the recent progress, the understanding of the origin of the glass transition remains as one of the most important unanswered questions in condensed matter. This is important since glass relaxation influences a wide variety of applications. For the planned Ph.D. course, we will introduce the fundamental aspects of the glass transition and relaxation, including dynamics and thermodynamics, liquid fragility, structural and dynamical heterogeneity, and various relaxation phenomena. Several distinguished lecturers will be invited to present the fundamental principles of various methods (experimental, modeling, and theory) for studying these phenomena as well as their recent progress in applying these methods to different glass-forming systems (oxide, non-oxide, metallic, organic-inorganic hybrid). The students will communicate with both fellow students and lecturers, read the pre-assigned literature, and do assignments from lecturers through group work.

Organizer: 

Professor Morten M. Smedskjær, mos@bio.aau.dk

Important information concerning PhD courses: 

There is a no-show fee of DKK 3,000 for each course where the student does not show up. Cancellations are accepted no later than 2 weeks before the start of the course. Registered illness is of course an acceptable reason for not showing up on those days. Furthermore, all courses open for registration approximately four months before start of the course.

We cannot ensure any seats before the deadline for enrolment, all participants will be informed after the deadline, approximately 3 weeks before the start of the course.

For inquiries regarding registration, cancellation or waiting list, please contact the PhD administration at phdcourses@adm.aau.dk When contacting us please state the course title and course period. Thank you.