Discrete breathers for understanding reconstructive mineral processes at low temperatures

Abstract

Reconstructive transformations in layered silicates need a high tem- perature in order to be observed. However, very recently, some systems have been found where transformation can be studied at temperatures 600 C below the lowest experimental results previously reported, including sol-gel methods. We explore the possible relation with the existence of intrinsic localized modes, known as discrete breathers. We construct a model for nonlinear vibrations within the cation layer, obtain their parameters and calculate them numerically, obtaining their energies. Their statistics shows that although there are far less breathers than phonons, there are much more above the activation energy, being therefore a good candidate to explain the reconstructive transformations at low temperature.

27 pages, 11 figures

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• Discrete Breathers
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• Experimental Generation and Observation of Intrinsic Localized Spin Wave Modes in an Antiferromagnet
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Cited by in corpus (11)

• Evidence for moving breathers in a layered crystal insulator at 300K
• Reaction rate theory with account of the crystal anharmonicity
• Ultradiscrete kinks with supersonic speed in a layered crystal with realistic potentials
• Nonlinear localized modes in two-dimensional electrical lattices
• Nonlinear waves in a model for silicate layers
• Theory of a quodon gas. With application to precipitation kinetics in solids under irradiation
• The origin of defects induced in ultra-pure germanium by Electron Beam Deposition
• Rate theory of acceleration of the defect annealing driven by discrete breathers
• Discrete breathers in ${\varphi }^4$ and related models
• Radiation damage and recovery of crystals:Frenkel vs. Schottky defect production
• Nonlinear dynamics determines the thermodynamic instability of condensed matter in vacuo