Metastability and Crystallization in Hard-Sphere Systems
- Princeton Materials Institute and Department of Civil Engineering and Operations Research, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08540 (United States)
We present comprehensive results of large-scale molecular dynamics simulations of systems of dense hard spheres at volume fraction {phi} along the disordered, metastable branch of the phase diagram from the freezing point {phi}{sub {ital f}} to random close-packing {phi}{sub {ital c}}. By quantifying the degree of local order, we determine the necessary conditions to obtain a truly random system, enabling us to compute the pressure carefully along the entire metastable branch. Near {phi}{sub {ital c}}, we show that the pressure scales as ({phi}{sub {ital c}}{minus}{phi}){sup {minus}{gamma}}, where {gamma}=1 and {phi}{sub {ital c}}=0.644{plus_minus}0.005. Contrary to previous studies, we find no evidence of a thermodynamic glass transition and find that after long times the system crystallizes for all {phi} above the melting point. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society.}
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG02-92ER14275
- OSTI ID:
- 397648
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review Letters, Vol. 77, Issue 20; Other Information: PBD: Nov 1996
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Lifetime, collisional-quenching, and {ital j}-mixing measurements of the metastable 3{ital D} levels of Ca{sup +}
Critical Temperature of Bose-Einstein Condensation of Hard-Sphere Gases