Off equilibrium fluctuations in a polymer glass

The fluctuation–dissipation relation (FDR) is measured on the dielectric properties of a polymer glass (polycarbonate). It is observed that the fluctuation–dissipation theorem is strongly violated after a quench from above to below the glass transition temperature. The amplitude and the persistence time of this violation are decreasing functions of frequency. Around 1 Hz, it may persist for several hours. The origin of this violation is a highly intermittent dynamics characterized by large fluctuations and strongly non-Gaussian statistics. The intermittent dynamics depends on the quenching rate and it disappears after slow quenches. The relevance of these results for recent models of aging are discussed.