Second-order Raman spectra of LiHxD1-x crystals

High-resolution Raman spectra of LiHxD1-x cubic crystals were measured for the first time in a wide concentration range (0≤x≤1) at room temperature. The results agree well with data on inelastic neutron scattering and direct calculations of the lattice dynamics for LiH and LiD crystals. This allows one to assign the observed spectral features to the phonon excitations in X-, W-, L-, and K-points of the Brillouin zone. Spectra of LiD exhibit the high-frequency maximum with a pronounced doubled structure. This fact and the dependence of the maximum intensity on the excitation laser frequency provide clear evidence that the maximum is due to excitation of LO(Γ)-phonons in pure or mixed crystals. In the x approx-lt 0.4 range, the LO-phonons manifest themselves in the spectra of both pure LiD and mixed LiHxD1-x crystals, which demonstrates for the first time their two-mode character in this concentration range. This conclusion is in contradiction with predictions of the coherent potential model. In this paper, causes of this conflict are briefly discussed. 36 refs., 5 figs., 2 tabs