Energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction study of liquid gallium under high pressure at elevated temperatures

Yagafarov, O.; Katayama, Yoshinori; Brazhkin, V. V.*; Lyapin, A. G.*; Saito, Hiroyuki

The structure of liquid gallium has been studied along the melting curve from 0.64 GPa to 5.6 GPa by the energy dispersive X-ray diffraction technique, followed by modeling of the experimental data by the reverse Monte-Carlo (RMC) method. Analysis of the structure factor and the radial distribution function shows that anisotropic local structure of liquid Ga deviates from that of a simple hard-sphere-like liquid metal structure. Its contraction is non-uniform, and the local structure changes with increasing pressure. Analysis of the radial distribution function by a distorted-crystalline model shows that at lower pressures liquid consists of two species similar to the solid Ga I and Ga II structures. The fraction of Ga I-like part is about at 0.64 GPa, and it gradually decreases under pressure to zero at approximately GPa.