Glassy-like states of bulk rare gases

Defining a glassy-like state of a system of bound atoms as a frozen, amorphous, thermodynamically unstable state, we consider a glassy-like state of a condensed rare gas as a configurationally excited state of bound atoms that tends to the thermodynamic equilibrium by diffusion of voids. The criterion for a critical cooling rate is the minimum cooling rate of the liquid state that leads to formation of a glassy-like state. Comparing this glassy-like state with that experimentally obtained by deposition of argon atoms on a cold target, we conclude that glassy-like states are characterized by short-range parameters. On the basis of cluster studies, peculiarities of the liquid aggregate states and glassy-like states are formulated. A glassy-like state of a cluster or a bulk system of bound atoms is a configurationally excited state below the freezing point; the liquid aggregate state exhibits configurational excitations but is characterized by thermal motion of atoms, consistent with the Lindemann criterion. (C) 2002 MAIK "Nauka/Interperiodica".