Precise determination of fictive temperature of silica glass by infrared absorption spectrum

In silica glass, the peak position of infrared absorption spectrum at around 2260 cm(-1), which is related to the average of distribution of Si-O-Si bonding angle, is useful for determining frozen-in temperature of glass structure, the so-called fictive temperature. We precisely determined relation between the peak position and fictive temperature up to 1550degreesC and found that at fictive temperatures higher than 1400degreesC the present relation differs from the relation which has been extrapolated from the previous data at fictive temperatures below 1400degreesC. The peak position was found to simply shift to lower wave numbers with raising fictive temperature. This suggests that at fictive temperatures up to about 1600degreesC there is no maximum in density, which has been reported to exist at around 1500degreesC. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.