Paper detail

"Isomorphs" in liquid state diagrams

A liquid is termed strongly correlating if its virial and potential energy thermal equilibrium fluctuations in the NVT ensemble are more than 90% correlated [Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 015701 (2008)]. The fluctuations of a strongly correlating liquid are well approximated by those of an inverse power-law intermolecular potential. Building on this fact we here define "isomorphic lines" in the state diagram of a strongly correlating liquid. It is shown from computer simulations of the Kob-Andersen binary Lennard-Jones liquid that no aging is associated with jumps between two isomorphic points. Isomorphic state points have the same excess entropy, the same reduced average relaxation time, the same (reduced) dynamics, and the same scaled radial distribution functions. Finally we calculate the equation for isomorphs in the virial / potential energy diagram for Lennard-Jones type liquids and show that all such 12-6 liquids have the same isomorphs; these may be scaled into a master isomorph.