Boson peak as a phenomenon participated by the vast majority of particles

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that nearly all particles in amorphous solids contribute to the Boson peak, challenging the view that it arises from a minority of quasi-localized modes, and suggests a collective origin.

Contribution

It provides evidence that the Boson peak involves almost all particles, emphasizing its global and collective nature rather than localized origins.

Findings

99.9% of degrees of freedom contribute to the Boson peak

Challenges the idea that only a minority of particles are involved

Highlights the collective nature of the Boson peak

Abstract

The origin of the excess vibrational density of states (DOS) beyond Debye's theory in amorphous solids (often referred to as the Boson peak) has been attributed to the presence of quasi-localized vibrational modes in recent years. However, by dispersing the total DOS onto each degree of freedom (DOF), the results of this report provide evidence that \(99.9\%\) of DOFs, and hence almost all particles, contribute to the Boson peak (BP). These results challenge the prevailing opinion that BP is contributed by a minority of particles and highlight its long-neglected global and collective origin.