A simple monatomic ideal glass former: the glass transition by a first-order phase transition above the melting point

TL;DR

This paper reports the first simulation-based observation of a monatomic liquid undergoing a first-order phase transition to a glassy state above its melting point, suggesting the potential existence of metallic ideal glass formers.

Contribution

It demonstrates a simple monatomic system that forms a glass via a first-order transition above melting, challenging previous notions about glass formation.

Findings

First observation of liquid-glass transition by a first-order phase transition above melting point

Identification of a monatomic ideal glass former avoiding crystallization

Implication of metallic ideal glass formers existence

Abstract

A liquid can form under cooling a glassy state either as a result of a continuous slowing down or by a first order polyamorphous phase transition. The second scenario has so far always been observed below the melting point where it interfered with crystalline nucleation. We report the first observation of the liquid-glass transition by a first order phase transition above the melting point. The observation was made in a molecular dynamics simulation of a one-component system with a model metallic pair potential. This is also the first observation of a simple monatomic ideal glass former -- a liquid that avoids crystallization at any cooling rate. Besides its conceptual importance, this result indicates a possibility of existence of metallic ideal glass formers.