Slow Dynamics in Liquid Metals as Seen by QENS

Abstract

Abstract The quasielastic dynamics in liquid metals has been investigated by neutron scattering extensively during the past years. Precise measurements of the self-particle dynamics and the coherent quasielastic response provided conclusive evidence that the relaxation dynamics is governed by at least two processes. These two time scales in the correlation functions appear as two dynamical processes in their associated memory functions. One process shows a fast decay and is related to stochastic binary collisions. The second slow process stems from a non-linear coupling of slow collective modes. These slow density fluctuations arise mainly from the dynamics around the structure factor maximum. A rigorous treatment of these effects can be accomplished by mode coupling theory. A few selective experiments from monatomic metals are presented to demonstrate the influence of slow effects on the dynamics. Experiments and MD-simulations show a surprising good agreement with predictions of mode coupling theory on a quantitative level. The slow decay process appears to be related to structural arrest in the supercooled state and might indicate a link to the solidification process, starting deep in the liquid state. Accurate quasielastic neutron scattering experiments are still and will remain a fundamental pillar for elucidating the complex dynamics in the liquid state of metals.