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Inferring partial crystalline order in liquids from electrical resistivity

Nadine Wetta* and Jean-Christophe Pain

  • *Contact author: nadine.wetta@cea.fr
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Phys. Rev. E 114, 015220 – Published 24 July, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/26b1-7l5l

Abstract

This work investigates how locally persistent crystal-like ordering in liquids influences the Debye-Waller factor. We have developed a theoretical framework based on liquid-phonon theory which introduces a phonon relaxation time, expressed as the ratio of shear viscosity to infinite-frequency shear modulus. These values are obtained using the Yukawa one-component plasma model. Within this framework, we establish expressions for the heat capacity at constant pressure and the Debye-Waller factor for the liquid state. These expressions explicitly introduce additional temperature dependence arising from the finite phonon lifetime. Anharmonicity is accounted for within the quasiparticle approximation. We compare our heat capacity results with values measured by Gathers for aluminum and copper, finding good agreement when assuming partial local crystal-type order. Comparisons with experimental heat capacities serve to validate the approach prior to its application to the study of electrical resistivity, the principal objective of this work. Using liquid-phonon Debye-Waller factors in the methodology developed earlier [Phys. Rev. E 102, 053209 (2020)] for electrical resistivity in dense matter, and comparing with experimental resistivities from Gathers, we elucidate the character of the locally persisting crystal order in liquid aluminum and liquid copper. These results indicate that the electrical resistivity measurements can serve as a valuable probe for determining both the extent and the nature of crystalline order in the liquid state.

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Phys. Rev. E 114, 015220– Published 24 July, 2026
  • Received 29 January 2026
  • Accepted 25 June 2026
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