Structural evolution in the packing of uniform spheres.

Area of Science:

• Physics of atomic and particle systems
• Materials science and condensed matter physics
• Statistical mechanics

Background:

• Understanding the physics of atomic or particle systems requires robust structural analysis.
• Characterizing structures across various packing fractions (ρ) remains a significant challenge in materials science.
• Local structural order significantly influences macroscopic properties in condensed matter systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the local structure of sphere packings using common-neighbor-subcluster (CNS) analysis.
• To characterize the types and evolution of CNSs within a wide range of packing fractions (ρ ∈ (0.2, 0.74)).
• To explore the rules governing the structural evolution of CNSs with increasing packing density.

Main Methods:

• Utilized common-neighbor-subcluster (CNS) analysis to probe local atomic arrangements.
• Investigated sphere packings across a continuous range of packing fractions (ρ) from 0.2 to 0.74.
• Quantified the evolution of identified CNS types as a function of packing density.

Main Results:

• Identified a total of 39 distinct common-neighbor-subcluster (CNS) types in sphere packings.
• Found that 12 of these CNS types are dominant across the studied packing fractions.
• Quantified the evolution of these CNSs, revealing distinct patterns as packing density increases.

Conclusions:

• The study provides a detailed classification and evolutionary analysis of local structures in sphere packings.
• The identified dominant CNSs and their evolution offer insights into the critical states and transitions in dense packings.
• This work contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of structure-property relationships in disordered materials.