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Updated: Jul 12, 2026

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Phonon Density of States and Specific Heat of Forsterite, Mg2SiO4
Abstract:
The phonon density of states of the geophysically important mineral forsterite has been calculated with a rigid-ion model, which gives good agreement with an experimental measurement by inelastic neutron scattering. The density of states has been used to calculate the specific heat as a function of temperature, the results of which are in excellent agreement with calorimetrically measured values. The rigid-ion model takes account of the interatomic interactions and normal modes of vibration on a detailed microscopic basis, and is therefore more realistic than the Debye and other empirical models used previously.
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