Hydrodynamic correlation and spectral functions of perfect cubic crystals

Abstract

We investigate the collective dynamics of the perfect cubic crystal by deriving from the hydrodynamic equations the time-dependent correlation and the spectral functions characterizing the fluctuations of mass and momentum densities. We show that the seven hydrodynamic modes of the perfect crystal can be identified from the resonances of these spectral functions. The comparison with those of a fluid is discussed. Using the numerical values of the thermodynamic, elastic, and transport coefficients computed in our previous paper (J Mabillard and P Gaspard 2024 J. Stat. Mech. 023208) for a system of hard spheres, the theoretical expressions for the correlation and spectral functions are compared to the same functions directly computed using molecular dynamics simulations. The excellent agreement between theory and simulation provides strong support for the microscopic hydrodynamic theory of perfect crystals based on the local-equilibrium approach. This work sheds light on the fundamental mechanisms governing the collective behavior of matter in the solid state.