Probing the liquid-liquid transition in tellurium under pressure

Liquid tellurium (Te) exhibits several thermodynamic anomalies which closely resemble those of water. These anomalies point to the possible existence of a liquid-liquid critical point (LLCP) in Te, which is similar to the one purported in water. Compared with water, however, the ability of Te to reach deep supercooling without crystallisation makes it possible to explore its phase diagram close to the LLCP. Therefore, we propose to study the thermodynamics and structure of supercooled liquid Te under pressure using the NIMROD instrument, aiming at revealing details of the phase diagram associated with the LLCP.