An inelastic x-ray scattering experiment has been performed in liquid aluminum for the purpose of studying the collective excitations at wave vectors below the first sharp diffraction peak. The high instrumental resolution (up to 1.5 meV) allows an accurate investigation of the dynamical processes in this liquid metal on the basis of a generalized hydrodynamics framework. The outcoming results confirm the presence of a viscosity relaxation scenario ruled by a two-time-scale mechanism, as recently found in liquid lithium.

• Received 17 July 2000

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.63.011210