The experimental realization of ultra-stable glasses (UG), employed in technological applications like OLED displays and amorphous pharmaceuticals, has sparked renewed interest in algorithms capable of generating glasses with enhanced properties. In parallel, the algorithmic preparation of ultra-stable glasses has considerably expanded our understanding of the glassy state.

In a recent work [1], we presented a new protocol for UG preparation in a model colloidal glass, which iteratively modifies particle diameters to reduce local virial stress fluctuations, effectively homogenizing the local mechanical environment of individual particles.

Compared to the states obtained via thermal annealing, virial homogenized glasses (VHG) are characterized by a considerable increase in both thermodynamic and kinetic stability. Our results show that microscopic mechanical homogeneity, a widely applicable concept, can give rise to ultra-stability.

[1] F. Leoni, J. Russo, F. Sciortino, and T. Yanagishima, Phys. Rev. Lett. 134, 128201 (2025).