Testing a simple method for computing directly the bulk modulus by NPT simulation: The case of polydisperse hard sphere solids
Abstract
The bulk modulus of hard sphere solids has been computed directly by constant pressure Monte-Carlo simulations, using the histogram of the volume fluctuations. In considering first the one-component system, we show that the method is accurate in a large range of pressures, including high-pressure regime. The method is then applied to a polydisperse solid with relatively low polydispersity index. For illustrative purpose, we took a three-component mixture with symmetric size-distribution, and we studied the solid phase (fcc crystal) of this system. Our results show that the equation of state is very sensitive to the polydispersity. Furthermore, in the high-pressure region, where no (accurate) analytical fit for the equation of state exists, our simulations are able to predict the bulk modulus of such systems.