Energy landscape of a simple model for strong liquids

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the energy landscape of a minimal model for strong liquids, revealing unique signatures like a degenerate ground state and logarithmic energy distribution, which distinguish strong from fragile liquids.

Contribution

It introduces a simple, exactly solvable model for strong liquids, highlighting the role of discrete energy scales and network degeneracy in their behavior.

Findings

Degenerate disordered ground state identified

Logarithmic energy distribution observed

Differences from fragile liquids explained by energy scale and degeneracy

Abstract

We calculate the statistical properties of the energy landscape of a minimal model for strong network-forming liquids. Dynamics and thermodynamic properties of this model can be computed with arbitrary precision even at low temperatures. A degenerate disordered ground state and logarithmic statistics for the energy distribution are the landscape signatures of strong liquid behavior. Differences from fragile liquid properties are attributed to the presence of a discrete energy scale, provided by the particle bonds, and to the intrinsic degeneracy of topologically disordered networks.