The study of the vibrational spectra of NH4Cl and NH4Br at high pressures

The vibrational spectra of NH4Cl at pressures of up to 2.6 GPa and of NH4Br at pressures of up to 7 GPa are investigated by the method of inelastic incoherent scattering of neutrons. It is found that a linear baric dependence of a librational mode changes its slope above the pressure of transition from a disordered cubic phase into an ordered cubic phase with a CsCl-type structure. The slope of the baric dependence of the transverse optical translational mode remains invariant. Estimates for the Gruneisen parameters are presented and the shape of the potential function is calculated in the one-dimensional approximation for librational vibrations in disordered and ordered cubic phases with a CsCl-type structure. It is shown that the phenomena observed are attributed to the high anharmonicity in the disordered phase. (C) 2002 MAIK "Nauka / Interperiodica".