Is random close packing of spheres well defined?
Despite its long history, there are many fundamental issues concerning random packings of spheres that remain elusive, including a precise definition of random close packing (RCP). We argue that the current picture of RCP cannot be made mathematically precise and support this conclusion via a molecular dynamics study of hard spheres using the Lubachevsky-Stillinger compression algorithm. We suggest that this impasse can be broken by introducing the new concept of a maximally random jammed state, which can be made precise.
Torquato
S
Department of Chemistry and Princeton Materials Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA.
Truskett
TM
Debenedetti
PG