Kinetic explanation of the glass transition

Determine whether the glass transition can be explained by a purely kinetic or dynamical theory based on facilitated dynamics and kinetically constrained models, without requiring an underlying thermodynamic singularity.

Background

The paper presents the glass transition as a phenomenon in which viscosity increases by many orders of magnitude over a relatively narrow temperature range. It argues that the relevant timescale may be governed primarily by the frequency of dynamical events rather than by a free-energy landscape alone.

The authors propose that facilitated-dynamics and kinetically constrained models may provide a fundamentally frenetic account of the transition, while explicitly acknowledging that this interpretation remains unresolved. The open issue is whether a purely kinetic mechanism is sufficient, or whether a thermodynamic singularity must also be invoked.

References

While the jury is still out, we believe the glass transition fits within a purely kinetic (dynamical) theory, related to models of facilitated dynamics and kinetically constrained models, that is essentially frenetic: no underlying thermodynamic singularity is needed.

— Entropy and Frenesy: the arrow and the bustle of time  (2608.17586 - Maes, 18 Aug 2026) in Section “Frenometry,” subsection \ref{fr}

A long-lasting open question is whether the observed phenomenology upon cooling reflects the influence of an underlying phase transition, or whether it arises from an entirely different mechanism.

— Non-Monotonic Dynamical Correlations Across The Glass Crossover  (2608.21219 - Laudicina et al., 21 Aug 2026) in Section 1, Introduction

In structural glasses the question remains open because the thermodynamic side is accessible only through approximation.

— Glassy dynamics of metropolitan human mobility frozen near the gravitational equilibrium  (2609.29057 - Zheng et al., 24 Sep 2026) in Section Discussion, paragraph beginning “This identifies the phenomenon as kinetic arrest rather than a thermodynamic glass.”