Condensed Matter Physics, 2019, vol. 22, No. 4, 43606
DOI:10.5488/CMP.22.43606           arXiv:1912.01943

Title: X-rays induced atomic dynamics in a lithium-borate glass
Author(s):
  F. Dallari (University of Trento, Department of Physics, Via Sommarive, 14, 38123 Povo (TN), Italy; Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Notkestraße, 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany) ,
  G. Pintori (University of Trento, Department of Physics, Via Sommarive, 14, 38123 Povo (TN), Italy; University of Trento, Department of Industrial Engineering, Via Sommarive, 9, 38123 Trento, Italy) ,
  G. Baldi (University of Trento, Department of Physics, Via Sommarive, 14, 38123 Povo (TN), Italy) ,
  A. Martinelli (University of Trento, Department of Physics, Via Sommarive, 14, 38123 Povo (TN), Italy) ,
  B. Ruta (ESRF-European Synchrotron Radiation Faculty, 38043 Grenoble, France; Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, Institut Lumière Matière, Villeurbanne, France) ,
  M. Sprung (Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Notkestraße, 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany) ,
  G. Monaco (University of Trento, Department of Physics, Via Sommarive, 14, 38123 Povo (TN), Italy)

The continuous development of synchrotron-based experimental techniques in the X-ray range provides new possibilities to probe the structure and the dynamics of bulk materials down to inter-atomic distances. However, the interaction of intense X-ray beams with matter can also induce changes in the structure and dynamics of materials. A reversible and non-destructive beam induced dynamics has recently been observed in X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy experiments in some oxide glasses at sufficiently low absorbed doses, and is here investigated in a (Li2O)0.5(B2O3)0.5 glass. The characteristic time of this induced dynamics is inversely proportional to the intensity of the X-ray beam, with a coefficient that depends on the chemical composition and local structure of the probed glass, making it a potentially new tool to investigate fundamental properties of a large class of disordered systems. While the exact mechanisms behind this phenomenon are yet to be elucidated, we report here on the measurement of the exchanged wave-vector (and thus length-scale) dependence of the characteristic time of this induced dynamics, and show that it follows the same power-law observed in vitreous silica. This supports the idea that a unique explanation for this effect in different oxide glasses should be looked for.

Key words: glasses, glass transition, X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy, coherent X-ray scattering
PACS: 61.05.cf, 61.43.Fs, 61.80.Cb


Full text [pdf] << List of papers