Structural Relaxations in the GHz Frequency Range in Glass Forming Silicate Melts

Abstract

AbstractThe Brillouin light scattering technique is used for the investigation of structural relaxations in glass-forming liquids at high temperatures. From the analysis of the line shapes of Rayleigh and Brillouin peaks, the friction coefficients, which are associated with the atomic scale mechanisms of the structural relaxations in these systems, are determined. Results for a series of K2O-SiO2 compositions, which were chosen as model substances, are reported. As a function of temperature, maxima in the Brillouin line widths were observed, which reflect resonant conditions of molecular scale structural motions, where the relaxation time is of the order of the reciprocal Brillouin frequency shift. Due to thermal activation of the component mobilities, different relaxation mechanisms couple at different temperatures. Typically, at least one strongly absorbing regime is observed in between the glass transition and the equilibrium melting temperatures. The prominence of this regime decreases with increasing silica concentration. The friction coefficients approach the hydrodynamic viscosity in the high temperature limit, when the relaxation times become short in comparison with the time scale of the Brillouin shift.