structural aspects of dynamic deformation of Zr-Cu-Al metallic glasses under laser shock loading

In the proposed experiment we will investigate the structural aspects of dynamic deformation of Zr-Cu-Al metallic glasses under laser shock loading. To this end, a mid- power density laser with a nanoseconds pulse duration will be used to generate a shock wave and the local atomic arrangement of the glassy sample will be probed during its propagation by time-resolved X-ray absorption spectroscopy for Cu K-edge. By quantitative analysis of the EXAFS spectra we will evaluate the parameters of local atomic environment of Cu atoms during shock compression. These results will help us to elucidate the structural origin of the experimentally observed anomalies in the pressure dependence of the sound/shock wave velocity in Zr-Cu-Al metallic glasses and identify a possible underlying pressure-induced structural transition in the amorphous phase.