Pressure dependence of intermediate-range order and elastic properties of glassy Baltic amber

Amber is a unique example of a fragile glass that has been extensively aged below its glass transition temperature, thus reaching a state that is not accessible under normal experimental conditions. We studied the medium-range order of Baltic amber by x-ray diffraction (XRD) at high pressures. The pressure dependences of the low-angle XRD intensity between 0 and 5 Å⁻¹ were measured from 0 to 7.3 GPa by the energy-dispersive XRD. The first diffraction peak at 1.1 Å⁻¹ and ambient pressure has a doublet structure consisting of the first sharp diffraction peak (FSDP) at 1.05 Å⁻¹ and the second feature at 1.40 Å⁻¹. The peak position and the width of the FSDP increase as the pressure increases, while the intensity of the FSDP decreases. Below P₀=2.4 GPa, the rapid increase of the FSDP peak position was observed, while above P₀, the gradual increase was observed. Below P₀, voids and holes in a relatively low-density state are suppressed, whereas above P₀, the suppression becomes mild. Such a change suggests the crossover from the low- to high-density state at P₀. There is a close correlation between the pressure dependence of XRD and previously reported sound velocity results. The correlation between the mean-square fluctuation of the shear modulus on the nanometer scale and fragility in amber and other glass formers is also discussed.