0000000000824767
AUTHOR
Francesco Ancilotto
Toward a density functional description of liquid pH2.
A finite-temperature density functional approach to describe the properties of parahydrogen in the liquid-vapor coexistence region is presented. The first proposed functional is zero-range, where the density-gradient term is adjusted so as to reproduce the surface tension of the liquid-vapor interface at low temperature. The second functional is finite-range and, while it is fitted to reproduce bulk pH2 properties only, it is shown to yield surface properties in good agreement with experiments. These functionals are used to study the surface thickness of the liquid-vapor interface, the wetting transition of parahydrogen on a planar Rb model surface, and homogeneous cavitation in bulk liquid…
Cavitation of electron bubbles in liquid parahydrogen
Within a finite-temperature density functional approach, we have investigated the structure of electron bubbles in liquid parahydrogen below the saturated vapour pressure, determining the critical pressure at which electron bubbles explode as a function of temperature. The electron-parahydrogen interaction has been modelled by a Hartree-type local potential fitted to the experimental value of the conduction band-edge for a delocalized electron in pH(2). We have found that the pressure for bubble explosion is, in absolute value, about a factor of two smaller than that of the homogeneous cavitation pressure in the liquid. Comparison with the results obtained within the capillary model shows t…
Nucleation and cavitation in parahydrogen
We have used a density functional approach to investigate thermal homogeneous nucleation and cavitation in parahydrogen. The effect of electrons as seeds of heterogeneous cavitation in liquid parahydrogen is also discussed within the capillary model. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.