Melting of crystalline solids

TL;DR

This paper proposes a model where melting occurs due to self-resonance between thermal phonons and surface lattice vibrations, explaining melting features through phonon wavelength and surface detachment.

Contribution

It introduces a novel resonance-based model for melting, linking phonon vibrations to surface atomic detachment at a specific temperature.

Findings

Calculated phonon wavelengths match surface layer d-spacings.

Model explains melting temperature and surface detachment.

Thermodynamic data supports the resonance hypothesis.

Abstract

It is suggested that at the melting temperature the thermal phonon vibration is in self-resonance with the lattice vibration of the surface atomic/molecular layer. This self resonance occurs at a well defined temperature and triggers the detachment of the atomic/molecular sheet or platelets from the surface of the crystal. Thermodynamic data of five substances is used to test this hypothesis. The calculated average phonon vibrational wavelengths are equal with or harmonics of the d-spacing of the atomic/molecular sheets. The proposed model is able to explain all of the features of melting.