Influence of pressure on the boson peak: Stronger than elastic medium transformation

Abstract

We study the changes in the low-frequency vibrational dynamics of poly(isobutylene) under pressure up to 1.4 GPa, corresponding to a density change of 20%. Combining inelastic neutron, x-ray, and Brillouin light scattering, we analyze the variations in the boson peak, transverse and longitudinal sound velocities, and the Debye level under pressure. We find that the boson peak variation under pressure cannot be explained by the elastic continuum transformation only. Surprisingly, the shape of the boson peak remains unchanged even at such high compression. © 2007 The American Physical Society.