Nearly golden-ratio order in Ta metallic glass*

Abstract

The formation of mono-atomic tantalum (Ta) metallic glass (MG) through ultrafast liquid cooling is investigated by ab-initio molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. It is found that there exists nearly golden ratio order (NGRO) between the nearest and second nearest atoms in Ta MG, which has been indirectly confirmed by Khmich et al. and Liang et al.. The NGRO is another universal structural feature in metallic glass besides the local five-fold symmetry (LFFS). Further analyzing of electronic structure shows that the obvious orientation of covalent bond could be attributed to the NGRO in amorphous Ta at 300 K.