https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2003-00105-8
Symmetry breaking and restoring under high pressure: the amazing behaviour of the “simple” alkali metals
Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università di
Catania, and Istituto Nazionale per la Fisica della Materia, UdR
di Catania, Via S. Sofia, 64, 95123 Catania, Italy
Corresponding author: a giuseppe.angilella@ct.infn.it
Received:
17
January
2003
Published online:
11
April
2003
We argue that an ionic lattice surrounded by a Fermi liquid changes phase several times under pressure, oscillating between the symmetric phase and a low-symmetry dimerized structure, as a consequence of Friedel oscillations in the pair potential. Phase oscillations explain the tendency towards dimerization which has been recently reported for the light alkali metals under high pressure. Moreover, a restoring of the symmetric phase is predicted for such elements at an even higher density.
PACS: 71.20.Dg – Alkali and alkaline earth metals / 62.50.+p – High-pressure and shock-wave effects in solids and liquids / 64.70.Kb – Solid-solid transitions
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag, 2003
