High frequency acoustic attenuation of vitreous silica: New insight from inelastic x-ray scattering

We present new experimental results on the propagation and damping of the high frequency acoustic-like modes in vitreous silica. The new data are measured by means of the inelastic x-ray scattering technique down to an exchanged wavevector Q similar to 0.9 nm(-1), at the limit of the instrument capabilities. Thanks to the continuous development of the technique, the new spectra are characterized by a very high signal to noise ratio when compared to previous experiments. The higher data quality finally allows for a reliable determination of the position and width of the inelastic excitations. The new data show that the sound damping Gamma is marked by a frequency dependence compatible with the Rayleigh law, Gamma similar to v(4), for frequencies below the position of the excess vibrational modes at the boson peak. We show that the new data are in good agreement with estimates of the acoustic mean free path from the thermal conductivity, which take into account the peculiar plateau at a few Kelvin. The connection between the boson peak and the Rayleigh law is further confirmed by a comparison of the present data with literature data for the sound attenuation in a permanently densified silica sample.