3. A few definitions

3.1 Potential surface

The potential surface of a system is in fact a hypersurface that represents its energy as a function of its structure (i.e. as a function of the relative positions of its atoms). On a microscopic scale, the difference between an energetic material and an inert one can be seen at the level of this surface, a cross-section of which is shown in figure 3 . The energy produced by the adiabatic decomposition of the material, noted Q , is commonly called the heat of explosion and measured in kilojoules per gram (reported in kJ/mol with the opposite sign convention, it is called the heat of detonation). This...