Is Random Close Packing of Spheres Well Defined?

Journal Article · Mon Mar 06 04:00:00 EST 2000 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.84.2064· OSTI ID:20215637

Torquato, S ^[1]; Truskett, T M ^[2]; Debenedetti, P G ^[2]

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1. Department of Chemistry and Princeton Materials Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544 (United States)
2. Department of Chemical Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544 (United States)

Despite its long history, there are many fundamental issues concerning random packings of spheres that remain elusive, including a precise definition of random close packing (RCP). We argue that the current picture of RCP cannot be made mathematically precise and support this conclusion via a molecular dynamics study of hard spheres using the Lubachevsky-Stillinger compression algorithm. We suggest that this impasse can be broken by introducing the new concept of a maximally random jammed state, which can be made precise. (c) 2000 The American Physical Society.

• OSTI ID: 20215637
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Issue: 10 Vol. 84; ISSN 0031-9007; ISSN PRLTAO
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
HARD-SPHERE MODEL
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MOLECULAR DYNAMICS METHOD
ORDER PARAMETERS
RANDOMNESS
SPHERES
STRUCTURAL MODELS
THEORETICAL DATA
THREE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
TWO-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS