Brillouin scattering studies of rare gas solids

Abstract

The scattering of light by elementar excitations in the matter is results in two phenomena, discriminated by the zero wavevector frequency of the excitation: if this frequency is zero, one deals with Brillouin scattering, and with Raman scattering in the other case. Brillouin scattering results from the interaction of light with thermal excitations (acoustic phonons in a crystal) of a material, or, from a classical point of view, with density waves. Contrary to Raman scattering, the selection rules allow always the observation of at least one mode. It is a powerful technic in the study of rare gases under pressure: at ambient temperature, rare gases crystallize in the face centered cubic structure (except helium which structure was recently found to be hexagonal) and are therefore Raman and infrared inactive.

Experimental results will be reviewed on rare gases and rare gas mixtures in the fluid phase, like He-Ne and He-H₂. These results will be discussed in relation with recent measurements of the frequency of global oscillations of Jupiter.