Dislocationlike Structures in a Simulated Liquid

The free-volume distribution in a simulated Lennard-Jones liquid is heterogeneous. Chains of holes, appearing as segments rather than a continuous network, have lifetimes that are brief compared with the mean vibration period of the atoms. Larger isolated holes persist for longer times. If the chains are interpreted as dislocation cores, the observed dislocation density is 1.0×${10}^{14}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{-2\mathrm{}}$, but the actual density is probably higher.