High frequency sound waves in vitreous silica

TL;DR

This study uses molecular dynamics simulations to analyze high frequency sound waves in vitreous silica, confirming their propagating nature and aligning with recent experimental scattering data.

Contribution

It provides a detailed simulation-based analysis that clarifies the nature of high frequency sound waves in vitreous silica, supporting their propagating behavior.

Findings

Simulated dynamical structure factors match experimental data.

Analysis supports the propagating nature of high frequency sound waves.

Discriminates between different interpretations of experimental results.

Abstract

We report a molecular dynamics simulation study of the sound waves in vitreous silica in the mesoscopic exchanged momentum range. The calculated dynamical structure factors are in quantitative agreement with recent experimental inelastic neutron and x-ray scattering data. The analysis of the longitudinal and transverse current spectra allows to discriminate between opposite interpretations of the existing experimental data in favour of the propagating nature of the high frequency sound waves.