Size-Dependent Localization in Polydisperse Colloidal Glasses

We have investigated concentrated suspensions of polydisperse hard spheres and have determined the dynamics and sizes of individual particles using confocal microscopy. With increasing concentration, the dynamics of the small and large particles start to differ. The large particles exhibit slower dynamics and stronger localization. Moreover, as the particle size increases, the local volume fraction φloc also increases. In the glass state, the localization length significantly decreases beyond φloc ≈ 0.67. This suggests a link between local crowding and dynamical heterogeneities. However dynamical arrest of subpopulations seems not directly linked to a large value of φloc, indicating the importance of collective effects.