Unified description for the temperature dependence of mobility in liquids

The physical mechanisms governing molecular mobility in liquids remain unresolved. Whether distinct mechanisms govern mobility in the Arrhenian and super-cooled regions, and whether the mobility in these regions can be unified remain open questions. Here, molecular dynamics simulations were used to search for a structural property with a temperature dependence related by a simple functional form to the temperature dependent translational diffusion coefficient, Dtrans. The logarithm of Dtrans was found to be a two-parameter function of F2, where F2 is the mean squared-force per molecule. The relationship is demonstrated for all systems investigated: a three-bead model of ortho-terphenyl, an 80:20 binary mixture of Lennard-Jones spheres, and a system of Lennard-Jones dumbbells. For each system, the relationship holds for the entire range of temperatures under both constant pressure and constant density conditions. The same F2-based expression describes the translational diffusion coefficient in the Arrhenian, crossover, and super-Arrhenian regions.