<span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:black;mso-ansi-language:EN-IN;mso-fareast-language:EN-IN;mso-bidi-language: HI" lang="EN-IN">Melting of the glassy mixed cluster Ar₉Xe₁₀</span>

Abstract

We have studied the adiabatic instantaneous normal modes (INMs) for a mixed 19-particle cluster, Ar₉Xe₁₀ as a function of temperature. In finite clusters, the INM frequencies, which are well-separated, do not mix as a consequence of the noncrossing rule. The frequencies of the lowest few modes of the system progressively soften as the temperature is increased, and prior to melting, the lowest few modes become unstable: these INM frequencies become imaginary. Eigenvectors corresponding to the lowest modes that appear to be involved in the actual melting process are identified.