Amorphous terahertz dynamics at the atomic level — Insights from a dual experimental and theoretical approach

While terahertz signature of amorphous materials has traditionally been described as featureless, recent investigations have shown that there actually exists a wealth of information within the low-frequency spectra, especially when characterised as a function of temperature. However, interpreting such results has proven difficult due to the lack of complementary theoretical data to support the experimental results. In this study, advances in computational techniques have enabled the simulation of amorphous solids from first principles, and provide valuable insight into the forces that drive amorphous dynamics, and subsequently their corresponding physical properties.