  Glasses obtained from vapor deposition on a cold substrate have superior
thermodynamic and kinetic stability with respect to ordinary glasses. Here we
perform molecular dynamics simulations of vapor deposition of a model
glass-former and investigate the origin of its high stability compared to that
of ordinary glasses. We find that the vapor deposited glass is characterized by
locally favoured structures (LFS) whose occurrence correlates with its
stability, reaching a maximum at the optimal deposition temperature. The
formation of LFS is enhanced near the free surface, hence supporting the idea
that the stability of vapor deposited glasses is connected to the relaxation
dynamics at the surface.
