Physics (Internal)

Thermodynamic, Dynamic and Structural Anomalies for Shoulder-like potentials

This event is part of the Biophysics/Condensed Matter Seminar Series.

Abstract
Using molecular dynamic simulations we study a family of continuous core-softened potentials
consisting of a hard core, a shoulder at closest distances and an attractive well at further distance.
The repulsive shoulder and the well distances represent two length scales. We show that if the
first scale, the shoulder, is repulsive or has a small well, the potential has a region in the pressuretemperature phase diagram with density, diffusion and structural anomalies. However, if the
closest scale becomes a deep well the regions in the pressure-temperature phase diagram where the
three anomalies are present shrink and disappear. This result helps in defining two length scales
potentials that exhibits anomalies.