A transferable empirical potential for carbon is developed by extending the
environment-dependent interaction potential proposed for silicon. Generali
zed coordination functions, parametrized using ab initio data, describe dih
edral rotation, nonbonded pi -repulsion and fractional coordination. Elasti
c constants agree well with experiment, and simulations of liquid carbon co
mpare very favorably with Car-Parrinello calculations. Amorphous networks g
enerated by liquid quench have properties superior to those of the Tersoff,
Brenner, and orthogonal tight-binding methods.