| Abstract Scope |
Silica glasses are commonly used in optical systems and, during the manufacturing process, are subjected to shockwaves due to high-power lasers. Therefore, it is essential to understand the structural changes and damaging mechanisms due to the compressive shockwave. We have performed reactive molecular dynamics simulations on silica glass to study the structural properties of silica glass under compression shockwave. We show that the Hugonoit curves follow the trends as of experiment trends. In addition, we show that the short-range order (pair distribution function, coordination number, inter-tetrahedral angle, and intra-tetrahedral angle) and medium-range order (rings) are affected by the shockwave propagation through the material. The structural changes behind the shock front are due to compaction of tetrahedral units, coordination defects, edge-sharing tetrahedra, and reduction of large rings. |