Crystallization and nanometric heterogeneity in glass: In situ observation of the boson peak during crystallization

In situ measurement of boson peak in several glasses was performed during the crystallization process to elucidate crystallization dynamics. In this study, it was experimentally illustrated that a drastic decrease in elasticity and damping of the boson peak occurred during the crystallization process when T/Tg~1.1--1.2. A possible mechanism for the crystallization precursive stage is also discussed, which integrates our boson peak observation results, Hikima's description [J. Mol. Struct. 479, 245 (1999)], Cabral's thermodynamic data [J. Non-Cryst. Solids 343, 85 (2004)], and other works.