Hard-sphere-like dynamics in a non-hard-sphere liquid

The collective dynamics of liquid gallium close to the melting point has been studied using inelastic x-ray scattering to probe length scales smaller than the size of the first coordination shell. Although the structural properties of this partially covalent liquid strongly deviate from a simple har...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review letters 2005-04, Vol.94 (15), p.155301.1-155301.4
Main Authors: SCOPIGNO, T, DI LEONARDO, R, COMEZ, L, BARON, A. Q. R, FIORETTO, D, RUOCCO, G
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties
Exact sciences and technology
Lattice dynamics
Physics
Vibrational states in disordered systems
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Summary:The collective dynamics of liquid gallium close to the melting point has been studied using inelastic x-ray scattering to probe length scales smaller than the size of the first coordination shell. Although the structural properties of this partially covalent liquid strongly deviate from a simple hard-sphere model, the dynamics, as reflected in the quasielastic scattering, are beautifully described within the framework of the extended heat mode approximation of Enskog's kinetic theory, analytically derived for a hard-sphere system. The present work demonstrates, therefore, the applicability of Enskog's theory beyond simple liquids.
ISSN:0031-9007
1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevLett.94.155301