Effect of elastic collisions on acoustic wave propagation in simplified nuclear glass: Molecular dynamics simulation

A novel method based on classical molecular dynamics was used to measure acoustic velocities in simplified glasses and in pure silica. The method was then applied to observe the acoustic velocity variation in a simple glass subjected to displacement cascades. The Rayleigh velocity and Young’s modulus were observed to decrease; this behavior is consistent with experimental results obtained for the same glass irradiated by heavy ions. The increasing disorder and reduction in atomic density resulting from elastic collisions are thus directly related to the drop in the Rayleigh velocities and Young’s modulus.