Boson peak in the vibrational spectra of glasses

Abstract

A hallmark of glasses is an excess of low-frequency, nonphononic vibrations. It is manifested as a terahertz peak - the boson peak - in the ratio of the vibrational density of state (VDoS) and Debye's VDoS of phonons. Here, using experimental data, extensive computer simulations, and a mean-field model, we show that the nonphononic part of the VDoS itself features both a universal power-law tail and a peak at higher frequencies, entirely accounted for by quasilocalized nonphononic vibrations, whose existence and spectra power-law tail were recently established in computer glasses. We rationalize the variation of the peak's frequency and magnitude with glasses' thermal history, which is much weaker than the variation of the tail and may follow an opposite trend, and show that the peak's modes are composed of many spatially coupled quasilocalized nonphononic vibrations. Our results shed light on the origin, nature, and properties of the boson peak in glasses.