Definition and properties of ideal amorphous solids

Phys Rev Lett. 2003 Apr 18;90(15):155502. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.90.155502. Epub 2003 Apr 15.

Abstract

It is proposed that two ideal amorphous structures, type I and type II, based on maximally random jammed packing of spheres of equal size, form a distinct class of ideal amorphous solids. The ideal amorphous structures contain wide variations in local density, limited by the condition of solidity. Four distinct characteristics, based on statistical geometry and topology, are shown to define this class. Voronoi tessellations carried out on simulated cells of random packed spheres and amorphous polymers give a broad distribution of individual volumes, skewed, with a tail at the high volume end.