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Structure and phase boundaries of compressed liquid hydrogen
I. Tamblyn and S.A. Bonev Physical Review Letters, 104, 065702 (2010) Using first principles molecular dynamics, this work maps the molecular-to-atomic transition in liquid hydrogen under extreme compression. The simulations predict the existence of a molecular liquid phase with short-range orientational order at pressures above 100 GPa. This structural ordering explains the sharpness of the molecular-to-atomic transition and the observed pressure drops at high pressures. The results suggest that existing hydrogen equation of state models may require revision and point to a potential first-order liquid-liquid transition under these extreme conditions. This paper was selected as a PRL Editor's Suggestion and was featured in Physics. |
