Liquid-liquid phase transitions of phosphorus via constant-pressure first-principles molecular dynamics simulations.

Pressure-induced phase transitions in liquid phosphorus have been studied by constant-pressure first-principles molecular dynamics simulations. By compressing a low-pressure liquid which consists of the tetrahedral P4 molecules, a structural phase transition from the molecular to polymeric liquid (a high-pressure phase) observed in the recent experiment by Katayama et al. [Nature (London) 403, 170 (2000)] was successfully realized. It is found that this transition is caused by a breakup of the tetrahedral molecules with large volume contraction. The same transition is also realized by heating. This indicates that only the polymeric liquid can stably exist at high temperature.