A new approach for estimating the density of liquids

We propose a novel approach with which to estimate the density of liquids. The approach is based on the assumption that the systems would be structurally similar when viewed at around the length scale (inverse wavenumber) of the first peak of the structure factor, unless their thermodynamic states differ significantly. The assumption was implemented via a similarity transformation to the radial distribution function to extract the density from the structure factor of a reference state with a known density. The method was first tested using two model liquids, and could predict the densities within an error of several percent unless the state in question differed significantly from the reference state. The method was then applied to related real liquids, and satisfactory results were obtained for predicted densities. The possibility of applying the method to amorphous materials is discussed.