Paper detail

An overview of the theories of the glass transition

The topic of the glass transition gives rise to a a wide diversity of views. It is, accordingly, characterized by a lack of agreement on which would be the most profitable theoretical perspective. In this chapter, I provide some elements that can help sorting out the many theoretical approaches, understanding their foundations, as well as discussing their validity and mutual compatibility. Along the way, I describe the progress made in the last twenty years, including new insights concerning the spatial heterogeneity of the dynamics and the characteristic length scales associated with the glass transition. An emphasis is put on those theories that associate glass formation with growing collective behavior and emerging universality.