{
  "abstract": "A density-functional theory developed for equilibrium freezing also produces a high-density endpoint close to terminal packing. We revisit the nonlinear Ramakrishnan--Yussouff bifurcation framework and distinguish the first crystalline fold, thermodynamic coexistence, and terminal marginality. At the terminal point, the grand-potential curvature vanishes along the principal finite-wavevector density mode, exactly when the nonlinear self-consistency equation loses stiffness. The construction gives exact close packing for one-dimensional hard rods, a terminal hard-disk packing fraction near 0.8407, and a hard-sphere value near 0.629, close to random close packing. These results identify a finite-wavevector thermodynamic marginality of a metastable liquid continuation, rather than equilibrium freezing or mechanical jamming, and expose a persistent puzzle: why should liquid-state correlations encode the approach to terminal disordered packing across different physical dimensions and systems?",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": "2608.29676",
  "author_total": 1,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Biman Bagchi"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4ke5e17v86ydh.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2608.29676",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "4ke5e17v86ydh",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.29676",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "LicenseRef-arXiv-nonexclusive-1.0",
  "licence_label": "arXiv licence",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "cond-mat.soft"
    ],
    [
      "arxiv",
      "cond-mat.stat-mech"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2505|Material Dynamics and Properties"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7204954402",
  "pdf_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2608.29676",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-08-30",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4ke5e17v86ydh.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:41Z",
      "native_id": "2608.29676",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.29676"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:cond-mat.soft",
      "subfield": "condensed-matter"
    },
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:cond-mat.stat-mech",
      "subfield": "statistical-nonlinear"
    }
  ],
  "title": "From Freezing to Terminal Packing: A Puzzle and a Paradox",
  "title_text": "From Freezing to Terminal Packing: A Puzzle and a Paradox",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:41Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4ke5e17v86ydh",
  "venue": "arXiv",
  "versions": []
}