Measurement of the liquid-structure factor of supercooled gallium and mercury

Abstract

The structure factor of supercooled liquid gallium and mercury has been measured as a function of temperature with $\mathrm{Cu}-K\alpha$ x radiation. The use of samples consisting of a planar array of a large number of small droplets of about 10-μm diameter allowed supercooling down to 70°C and 40°C below the melting points of gallium and mercury, respectively. The experimental data are analyzed and discussed in view of recent theories of the liquid-solid transition.