On the formation of photoinduced high pressure phases in sulfur below 10 GPa

Abstract

We investigate the phase transformations in sulfur for pressures up to 10 GPa by time resolved Raman spectroscopy. The transition to the photosensitive phase p-S is stimulated by the blue laser line between 3 and 9 GPa. The kinetics of this transition as derived from the time evolution of the intensities of characteristic Raman excitations shows the typical features of an activated first order phase transition. This transformation proceeds via a disordered (amorphous) intermediate state.

Above 9 GPa a further phase change to S, is kinetically characterized and follows similar rules i.e. the integral intensities of selected S, Raman lines exhibit a sigmoidal time dependence. In both high pressure phases a broad Raman excitation between 800 and 1000 cm^?1 is observed.