ISIS Neutron and Muon Source Data Journal

Polarization Analysis of the Self and Collective Density Fluctuations in Glass-Forming Liquids

Abstract: Recent theoretical and computational studies have suggested that low energy collective modes with shear nature exist in liquids and are enhanced in glasses. Furthermore, the appearance of these modes in collective density fluctuations characterized by the coherent dynamic structure factor is intimately related to the fragility of the liquids. Our recently developed ViscoElastic Hydrodynamic (VEH) theory predicts that the common origin of the anomalous low-energy excitations in strong liquids and collective fast relaxation in fragile liquids is the manifestation of transverse collective modes. We have some preliminary experimental evidence of this in two glass-forming ionic compounds, K3Ca2(NO3)7 (CKN) and ZnCl2 fragile and strong glass formers respectively, from INS and NSE measurements. We now request to use the polarization capability of LET to measure both the self and the collective modes of glycerol in the glassy, supercooled, and liquid regimes.

Principal Investigator: Professor Yang Zhang
Experimenter: Mr Lucas Trojanowski
Local Contact: Dr Gøran Nilsen
Experimenter: Dr Antonio Faraone

DOI: 10.5286/ISIS.E.RB2420164

ISIS Experiment Number: RB2420164

Publisher: STFC ISIS Neutron and Muon Source

Data format: RAW/Nexus
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Data Citation

The recommended format for citing this dataset in a research publication is as:
[author], [date], [title], [publisher], [doi]

For Example:
Professor Yang Zhang et al; (2026): Polarization Analysis of the Self and Collective Density Fluctuations in Glass-Forming Liquids, STFC ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, https://doi.org/10.5286/ISIS.E.RB2420164

Data is released under the CC-BY-4.0 license.