A comparative study of the dynamics of inherent structures at low temperatures is performed on different models of glass formers: a three-dimensional Lennard–Jones binary mixture (LJBM), facilitated spin models (either symmetrically constrained, SCIC, or asymmetrically, ACIC) and the trap...

The relationship between extended structures, glassy dynamics and the presence of an underlying thermodynamic transition is explored in the context of lattice models of loops. We review the physical picture which emerges from numerical studies of loop models. It shows dynamical barriers and...