Amorphous polymorphis in ice investigated by inelastic neutron scattering

Abstract High-density Ilda and low-density Ilda amorphous have been investigated by inelastic neutron scattering (INS) with emphasis on the energy window from 0.5 to 20 meV. At variance with earlier measurements the spectra in the Ilda phase show a simple ω2 behaviour in the acoustic region and the temperature dependence is found to be harmonic. Ilda converts with a strongly temperature-dependent rate towards Ilda ice. We have investigated in detail the time evolution of both the static and dynamic response functions at several temperatures. Elastic small-angle signals indicate the presence of strong heterogeneties at the early stages of the conversion process. At least two different time s…