title: Simulating the phosphorus fluid-liquid phase transition up to the critical point.
abstract: We report a Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics study of the temperature dependence of the fluid-liquid phase transition in phosphorous, involving the transformation of a molecular fluid phase into a network-like phase. We employed density-functional theory (DFT) with a gradient-corrected functional (B-LYP) to describe the electronic structure and interatomic interactions and performed simulations in a constant pressure ensemble. We spanned a temperature interval ranging from 2500 to 3500 K. With increasing temperature, we found that the structural conversion from the molecular P4fluid into the network liquid occurs at decreasing pressures, consistent with experimental observations. At lower temperatures the transition is characterized by a sudden increase of density in the sample. The magnitude of the density change decreases with increasing temperature and vanishes at 3500 K. In the temperature range 3100-3500 K we found signals of near- and super-criticality. We identified local structural changes that serve as seeds triggering the overall structural transition.
authors.forename: Luca M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Ghiringhelli
authors.forename: Evert Jan
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Meijer