Finding the k-gap: phonon dynamics in liquid lead

We are investigating the phonon theory of thermodynamics in liquids which is still awaiting experimental confirmation. At low temperatures the collective dynamics of liquids have close analogues to solids when the local residence time, t, of an atom exceeds its periods of vibration. This results in a rigid local structure at times shorter than t in liquids that support transverse modes, but only with wave-vectors exceeding kg = 1/(2*c*t), the k-gap. Despite this prediction and the growing interest from the liquid and diffraction communities, there is no experimental evidence for the k-gap. Liquid lead is a strong candidate for the first experimental measurement of the k-gap due to its large predicted kg. The main purpose of this proposal is to find the first experimental evidence for the k-gap and provide long-awaited experimental confirmation for a critical addition to liquid theory.