Configuration entropy dependence of cooperative relaxation properties in glass-forming liquids

We propose a model based on separating the anharmonic vibrations from the stable packing configurations that elucidates how the loss of configurational entropy Sc gives rise to kinetic sluggishness as the temperature of a glass forming liquid is lowered towards T2, where Sc vanishes. The shear viscosity, the self-diffusion coefficient, and the structural relaxation time of a cooperative rearranging region are evaluated. We calculate the time necessary to establish an equilibrium distribution of subcritical clusters in the supercooled liquid. A comparison of the induction time with the structural relaxation time sheds light into the nature of the transition at T2.