Deep-Glassy Ice VI Revealed with a Combination of Neutron Spectroscopy and Diffraction

The recent discovery of a low-temperature endotherm upon heating hydrochloric-acid-doped ice VI has sparked a vivid controversy. The two competing explanations aiming to explain its origin range from a new distinct crystalline phase of ice to deep-glassy states of the well-known ice VI. Problems with the slow kinetics of deuterated phases have been raised, which we circumvent here entirely by simultaneously measuring the inelastic neutron spectra and neutron diffraction data of H₂O samples. These measurements support the deep-glassy ice VI scenario and rule out alternative explanations. Additionally, we show that the crystallographic model of D₂O ice XV, the ordered counterpart of ice VI, also applies to the corresponding H₂O phase. The discovery of deep-glassy ice VI now provides a fascinating new example of ultrastable glasses that are encountered across a wide range of other materials.