Rearrangement of two dimensional aggregates of droplets under compression: Signatures of the energy landscape from crystal to glass

We study signatures of the energy landscape's evolution through the crystal-to-glass transition by compressing two dimensional (2D) finite aggregates of oil droplets. Droplets of two distinct sizes are used to compose small aggregates in an aqueous environment. Aggregates range from perfectly ordered monodisperse single crystals to disordered bidisperse glasses. The aggregates are compressed between two parallel boundaries, with one acting as a …