Neutron diffraction on mercury: density dependence of the static structurefactor

We report on a new neutron diffraction determination of the static structur e factor of liquid mercury at room temperature. By applying pressure on the sample up to 2 kbar (giving a density change of about 0.8%), it has been p ossible to measure, for the first time for mercury, the isothermal density derivative of the static structure factor. This quantity, in the case of si mple insulating fluids, has already been shown to be more sensitive than th e structure factor itself to the details of the interatomic potential. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.