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Heterogeneous attenuation of sound waves in three-dimensional amorphous solids
Shivam Mahajan1, Massimo Pica Ciamarra1,2,3
1Division of Physics and Applied Physics, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637371.
Abstract:
Sound waves are attenuated as they propagate in amorphous materials. We investigate the mechanism driving sound attenuation in the Rayleigh scattering regime by resolving the dynamics of an excited phonon in time and space via numerical simulations. We find sound attenuation is spatiotemporally heterogeneous. It starts in localized regions, which identify soft regions within the material and correlate with low-frequency vibrational modes. As time progresses, the regions where sound is primarily attenuated invade the system via an apparent diffusive process.
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