Physical properties of liquid oxygen under ultrahigh magnetic fields

We studied the acoustic properties of liquid oxygen up to 90 T by means of ultrasound measurements. We observed a monotonic decrease of the sound velocity and an asymptotic increase of the sound attenuation when applying magnetic fields. The unusual attenuation, twenty times as large as the zero-field value, suggests strong fluctuations of the local molecular arrangement. We assume that the observed fluctuations are related to a liquidliquid transition or crossover, from a small-magnetization to a large-magnetization liquid, which is characterized by a local-structure rearrangement. To investigate higher-field properties of liquid oxygen, we performed singleturn-coil experiments up to 180 T by means of the acoustic, dilatometric, magnetic, and optical techniques. We observed only monotonic changes of these properties, reflecting the absence of the proposed liquid-liquid transition in our experimental conditions.

Automated summary

The study found that the sound velocity of liquid oxygen decreases monotonically and sound attenuation increases asymptotically when magnetic fields are applied. The strong attenuation, twenty times larger than the zero-field value, suggests strong fluctuations in the local molecular arrangement, possibly relating to a liquid-liquid transition or crossover.