Why is Random Close Packing Reproducible?
Statistical Mechanics
2007-10-09 v2 Soft Condensed Matter
Abstract
We link the thermodynamics of colloidal suspensions to the statistics of regular and random packings. Random close packing has defied a rigorous definition yet, in three dimensions, there is near universal agreement on the volume fraction at which it occurs. We conjecture that the common value of phi_rcp, approximately 0.64, arises from a divergence in the rate at which accessible states disappear. We relate this rate to the equation of state for a hard sphere fluid on a metastable, non-crystalline branch.
Cite
@article{arxiv.cond-mat/0701343,
title = {Why is Random Close Packing Reproducible?},
author = {Randall D. Kamien and Andrea J. Liu},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/0701343},
year = {2007}
}
Comments
4 pages, 1 figure, formerly entitled "Universality of Random Close Packing?"