Low-temperature anomalies of a vapor deposited glass

We investigate the low-temperature properties of two-dimensional Lennard-Jones glass films, prepared in silico both by liquid cooling and by physical vapor deposition. We identify deep in the solid phase a crossover temperature T*, at which slow dynamics and enhanced heterogeneity emerge. Around T*, localized defects become visible, leading to vibrational anomalies as compared to standard solids. We find that, on average, T* decreases in samples with lower inherent structure energy, suggesting that such anomalies will be suppressed in ultrastable glass films, prepared both by very slow liquid cooling and vapor deposition.