Universal Features of Terahertz Absorption in Disordered Materials

Using an analytical theory, experimental terahertz time-domain spectroscopy data, and numerical evidence, we demonstrate that the frequency dependence of the absorption coupling coefficient between far-infrared photons and atomic vibrations in disordered materials has the universal functional form, C(omega)=A+Bomega(2), where the material-specific constants A and B are related to the distributions of fluctuating charges obeying global and local charge neutrality, respectively.