M. Foley et al., BOSON PEAKS AND SLOW RELAXATION IN A SIMULATION OF A NETWORK-FORMING IONIC MELT, Philosophical magazine. B. Physics of condensed matter. Structural, electronic, optical and magnetic properties, 71(4), 1995, pp. 557-569
Results are presented for the dynamical properties of a computer simul
ation model which has previously been shown to reproduce the distincti
ve structural characteristics of the intermediate-strength liquid glas
s former ZnCl2. Slow structural relaxation of the density on the lengt
h scale of the intermediate-range order is demonstrated, and the impli
cations of this finding for theories of the glass transition in networ
k-forming liquids are discussed qualitatively. A strong boson peak dev
elops in the self-dynamic structure factor (incoherent neutron scatter
ing) as the fluid is supercooled. Its presence is traced to the densit
y of states (spectral density of the velocity autocorrelation function
) and also to the intermediate scattering function.