Control parameter for the glass transition of glycerol evidenced by the static-field-induced nonlinear response

Abstract : By studying a nonlinear susceptibility on supercooled glycerol, we show that applying a static field E st increases the glass transition temperature T g by an amount quadratic in E st. This has important consequences: (i) it reinforces the relation between the two paths put forward in the last years to unveil the dynamical correlation volume close to T g ; (ii) it clarifies the interpretation of nonlinear measurements; (iii) it yields a new control parameter of the glass transition, which paves the way for experiments deepening our understanding of glasses.