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Dynamical perspective of the freezing transition of a suspension of hard spheres from the velocity autocorrelation function

W. van Megen
Phys. Rev. E 73, 020503(R) – Published 27 February 2006

Abstract

The velocity autocorrelation function of concentrated colloidal fluids of hard-sphere particles, measured by dynamic light scattering, decays to the experimental noise floor from below. The decay follows a stretched exponential function of delay time for the colloidal fluid in thermodynamic equilibrium, and a power law for the nonequilibrium, undercooled colloidal fluid. Consideration of this difference between the two states points to a possible dynamical mechanism of freezing.

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  • Received 19 May 2005

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.73.020503

©2006 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

W. van Megen

  • Department of Applied Physics, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia

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Issue

Vol. 73, Iss. 2 — February 2006

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