9316970 Ghose The principal objective of this exploratory research program is to study the structure and dynamics of magnesium silicate melts by in situ laser Raman spectroscopy with simultaneous CO2 laser heating to temperatures of ~3000oK The experiments involve creation of a localized melt in a magnesium silicate glass or crystal plate using a CO2 laser beam - with the glass or crystal plate to act as the crucible for the localized melt. Raman scattering data from the melt area will be interpreted from conventional and quantum molecular dynamics simulations based on large atomic clusters. A good match of the experimentally observed and theoretically calculated vibrational spectra and radial distribution functions will ensure the correctness of the derived melt structures, which in turn will be used to calculate their thermodynamic and physical properties, including viscosity.
