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We use dynamic light scattering and numerical simulations to study theapproach to equilibrium and the equilibrium dynamics of systems of colloidalhard spheres over a broad range of density, from dilute systems up to veryconcentrated suspensions undergoing glassy dynamics. We discuss severalexperimental issues (sedimentation, thermal control, non-equilibrium agingeffects, dynamic heterogeneity) arising when very large relaxation times aremeasured. When analyzed over more than seven decades in time, we find that theequilibrium relaxation time, tau_alpha, of our system is described by thealgebraic divergence predicted by mode-coupling theory over a window of aboutthree decades. At higher density, tau_alpha increases exponentially withdistance to a critical volume fraction phi_0 which is much larger than themode-coupling singularity. This is reminiscent of the behavior of molecularglass-formers in the activated regime. We compare these results to previouswork, carefully discussing crystallization and size polydispersity effects. Ourresults suggest the absence of a genuine algebraic divergence of tau_alpha incolloidal hard spheres.

Dynamic light scattering measurements in the activated regime of dense colloidal hard spheres