Pressure-Induced Structural Transformation in Radiation-Amorphized Zircon
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EQ (United Kingdom)
- Institute for High Pressure Physics, Troitsk 142190 (Russian Federation)
We study the response of a radiation-amorphized material to high pressure. We have used zircon ZrSiO{sub 4} amorphized by natural radiation over geologic times, and have measured its volume under high pressure, using the precise strain-gauge technique. On pressure increase, we observe apparent softening of the material, starting from 4 GPa. Using molecular dynamics simulation, we associate this softening with the amorphous-amorphous transformation accompanied by the increase of local coordination numbers. We observe permanent densification of the quenched sample and a nontrivial 'pressure window' at high temperature. These features point to a new class of amorphous materials that show a response to pressure which is distinctly different from that of crystals.
- OSTI ID:
- 20951192
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review Letters, Vol. 98, Issue 13; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.98.135502; (c) 2007 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0031-9007
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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