Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 4, 2026

Fluid-cell Raman Spectroscopy for operando Studies of Reaction and Transport Phenomena during Silicate Glass Corrosion
Published on: May 9, 2025
Raman scattering and the low-frequency vibrational spectrum of glasses
Bernhard Schmid1, Walter Schirmacher
1Physik-Department E13, Technische Universität München, D-85747, Garching, Germany.
Abstract:
We present a theory of low-frequency Raman scattering in glasses, based on the concept that light couples to the elastic strains via spatially fluctuating elasto-optic (Pockels) constants. We show that the Raman intensity is not proportional to the vibrational density of states (as was widely believed), but to a convolution of Pockels constant correlation functions with the dynamic strain susceptibilities of the glass. Using the dynamic susceptibilities of a system with fluctuating elastic constants we are able for the first time to describe the Raman intensity and the anomalous vibration spectrum of a glass on the same footing. Good agreement between the theory and experiment for the Raman spectrum, the density of states, and the specific heat is demonstrated at the example of glassy As(2)S(3).
Related Concept Videos
Raman Spectroscopy: Overview
However, a small fraction of the scattered light exhibits a frequency shift due to the exchange of energy between the incident photons and the...
Raman Spectroscopy Instrumentation: Overview
The monochromatic laser source, typically using visible or near-infrared radiation, generates a highly focused beam of light. This light interacts with the molecules of the sample, scattering some of the light. Liquid and gaseous samples are usually tested in ordinary glass capillaries, while solids can be analyzed as powders packed in capillaries or as potassium...
IR Spectroscopy: Molecular Vibration Overview
Stretching vibrations are vibrational motions that occur along the bond line, changing the bond length or distance between two bonded atoms. They are further distinguished as symmetric or asymmetric. In symmetric stretching, the...
IR Spectroscopy: Hooke's Law Approximation of Molecular Vibration
According to Hooke's law, the vibrational frequency is directly proportional to the...
Molecular Spectroscopy: Absorption and Emission
Atomic Spectroscopy: Absorption, Emission, and Fluorescence

