A first-order phase-transition, a super-cooled fluid, and a glass in a two-dimensional lattice gas model

Abstract

Studying the series expansion of the thermodynamic potential for the hard-core N3 lattice-gas model, we provide evidence for a first-order phase-transition with a finite jump in density and entropy, in agreement with numerical transfer matrix calculations. The solid branch terminates at the transition, while the fluid branch continues beyond the critical activity, describing a meta-stable super-cooled fluid. It terminates with density 0.85 (relative to the closest packing density) and finite entropy per site. This termination density is close to the random-closest-packing density of the glassy state obtained for infinitely-fast cooling. The model thus exhibits a thermodynamic meta-stable glassy phase with finite Edwards' compactivity.