Hyperuniformity of Wigner Glasses

Hyperuniform systems possess density fluctuations that are strongly suppressed at large length scales as characterized by a vanishing structure factor, commonly of the form S(k) ~ k^α with α > 0, as wavenumber k goes to 0. In contrast, typical disordered systems such as ideal gases and classical liquids are non-hyperuniform.

Here, we devise a class of hyperuniform liquids with long-range interactions. Our model is motivated by recent experiments of colloidal particles exposed to long-range flow fields. We perform swap Monte Carlo simulations and obtain that, at low temperatures, the liquid avoids crystallization and attains an arrested disordered state — a Wigner glass. We can control the scaling exponent α of the liquid at will, where it can take any value between 0 and the dimension of the system. Upon cooling, we obtain a smooth crossover from liquid to glass that is inherently hyperuniform and that suppresses the density fluctuation multiple orders of magnitudes stronger than in the liquid.