The glass transition is the most enduring grand-challenge problem in contemporary condensed matter physics. Here, we review the contribution of colloid experiments to our understanding of this problem. First, we briefly outline the success of colloidal systems in yielding microscopic insights into a wide range of condensed matter phenomena. In the context of the glass transition, we demonstrate their utility in revealing the nature of spatial and temporal dynamical heterogeneity. We then discuss the evidence from colloid experiments in favor of various theories of glass formation that has accumulated over the last two decades. In the next section, we expound on the recent paradigm shift in colloid experiments from an exploratory approach to a critical one aimed at distinguishing between predictions of competing frameworks. We demonstrate how this critical approach is aided by the discovery of novel dynamical crossovers within the range accessible to colloid experiments. We also highlight the impact of alternate routes to glass formation such as random pinning, trajectory space phase transitions and replica coupling on current and future research on the glass transition. We conclude our review by listing some key open challenges in glass physics such as the comparison of growing static length scales and the preparation of ultrastable glasses that can be addressed using colloid experiments.

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通过胶体的关键实验解构玻璃化转变

玻璃化转变是当代凝聚态物理学中最持久的重大挑战问题。在这里，我们回顾了胶体实验对我们理解这个问题的贡献。首先，我们简要概述了胶体系统在产生对各种凝聚态现象的微观洞察方面的成功。在玻璃化转变的背景下，我们展示了它们在揭示空间和时间动态异质性本质方面的效用。然后，我们讨论了胶体实验的证据，以支持过去二十年积累的各种玻璃形成理论。在下一节中，我们将阐述胶体实验中最近的范式转变，从探索性方法到旨在区分竞争框架预测的关键方法。我们展示了如何通过在胶体实验可访问的范围内发现新的动态交叉来帮助这种关键方法。我们还强调了玻璃形成的替代途径，如随机钉扎、轨迹空间相变和复制耦合对当前和未来玻璃化转变研究的影响。我们通过列出玻璃物理学中的一些关键开放挑战来结束我们的审查，例如比较增长的静态长度尺度和可以使用胶体实验解决的超稳定玻璃的制备。轨迹空间相变和复制耦合对当前和未来玻璃化转变研究的影响。我们通过列出玻璃物理学中的一些关键开放挑战来结束我们的审查，例如比较增长的静态长度尺度和可以使用胶体实验解决的超稳定玻璃的制备。轨迹空间相变和复制耦合对当前和未来玻璃化转变研究的影响。我们通过列出玻璃物理学中的一些关键开放挑战来结束我们的审查，例如比较增长的静态长度尺度和可以使用胶体实验解决的超稳定玻璃的制备。