Speaker: Howard Sheng, Computational Data Sciences, GMU
Title: Computational approaches toward the structure and formation of metallic glasses

Abstract: In this talk I will first introduce a new kind of material - metallic glasses. Due to many unique, and usually superior properties, these materials are promising for next generation engineering services. Their atomic-level structures, however, have been unclear and attracted relentless researches in the past decades. I will demonstrate in this talk how computational methods can be utilized to shed light on the atomic-level structures of these materials. Computational techniques, ranging from hard-sphere dynamics, reverse Monte Carlo modeling, large-scale molecular dynamics to first-principles calculations, coupled with experimental analysis, have been used to unravel the atomic packing details of metallic glasses. The general picture of atomic packing schemes in binary metallic glasses will be provided. I then will proceed to discuss the structure origin of high glass forming ability exhibited by some glass formers, by means of analyzing the special relaxation dynamics - dynamical heterogeneity- of the supercooled liquids prepared on computer.

Time: Friday, Oct. 17, 2008, 1:30-2:30 p.m.

Place: Science and Tech I, Room 242

Department of Mathematical Sciences
George Mason University
4400 University Drive, MS 3F2
Fairfax, VA 22030-4444
http://math.gmu.edu/
Tel. 703-993-1460, Fax. 703-993-1491