Molecular dynamics simulations of fused silica at shock pressures reproduce the experimental equation of state of this material and explain its characteristic shape. We demonstrate that shock waves modify the medium-range order of this amorphous system, producing changes that are only clearly revealed by its ring size distribution. The ring size distribution remains practically unchanged during elastic compression but varies continuously after the transition to the plastic regime.

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High-power 351 nm (3 ) laser pulses can produce damaged areas in high quality fused silica optics. Recent experiments have shown the presence of a densified layer at the bottom of damage initiation craters. We have studied the propagation of shock waves through fused silica using large-scale atomistic simulations since such shocks are expected to accompany laser energy deposition. These simulations show that the shocks induce structural transformations in the material that persist long after the shock has dissipated. Values of densification and thickness of densified layer agree with experimental observations. Moreover, our simulations give an atomistic description of the structural changes in the material due to shock waves and their relation to Raman spectra measurements.

An accurate description of the thermoelastic response of solids is central to classical simulations of compression- and deformation-induced condensed matter phenomena. To achieve the correct thermoelastic description in classical simulations, a new approach is presented for determining interatomic potentials. In this two-step approach, values of atomic volume and the second- and third-order elastic constants measured at room temperature are extrapolated to T = 0 K using classical thermo-mechanical relations that are thermodynamically consistent. Next, the interatomic potentials are fitted to these T = 0 K pseudo-values. This two-step approach avoids the low-temperature quantum regime, providing consistency with the assumptions of classical simulations and enabling the correct thermoelastic response to be recovered in simulations at room temperature and higher. As an example of our approach, an EAM potential was developed for aluminum, providing significantly better agreement with thermoelastic data compared with previous EAM potentials. The approach presented here is quite general and can be used for other potential types as well, the key restriction being the inapplicability of classical atomistic simulations when quantum effects are important.

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