Polarized optical properties of forsterite from room temperature up to the melting point

Olivines are the most abundant phases of the Earth's upper mantle. Determining their optical properties under extreme conditions is essential to investigate their lattice dynamics and related structural evolution and to quantify their thermophysical properties. Optical properties of forsterite were determined by acquiring infrared emittance spectra from room temperature up to the melting point along the [100], [010] and [001] polarization directions and over a wide spectral range, from 50 to 15000 cm-1. The fitting of the experimental data by using a semi-quantum dielectric function model provides new results on lattice vibrations and phonon-phonon interactions in forsterite. In particular, a sudden enhancement of anharmonicity at high temperature is observed and is concomitant with the disappearance or brutal change of some modes around 1000K. The normal modes involving Mg1 cation motions are the more impacted and some of them vanish around 1200K. The polarization along [001] direction is more specifically impacted and this change can be linked to the magnesium mobility within M1 sites. This result is consistent with ab initio calculations1 and experimental data on tracer diffusion2 in forsterite that show the presence of an enhanced diffusion of magnesium via M1 sites along [001] direction. These data contribute to explain literature results that show evidences of a change of vibrational behaviour around 1000K, and in particular a strenghtening of lattice anharmonicity 3,4. This vibrational change may impact some important geophysical properties that depends on ionic diffusion, such as creep or electrical conductivity, were magnesium diffusion plays a key role. Finally, absorption coefficient has been calculated over the whole IR range from optical indices, allowing for the evaluation of the contribution of heat transport by radiation in forsterite. 1. J. Brodholt, Am. Mineral. 82, 1049-1053 (1997). 2. S. Chakraborty, J. R. Farver, R. A. Yund, D. C. Rubie, Phys. Chem. Miner. 21, 489-500 (1994). 3. P. Gillet, P. Richet, F. Guyot, G. Fiquet, J. Geophys. Research. B7, 96: 11805-11816 (1991). 4. F. Guyot, Y. Wang, P. Gillet, Y. Ricard, Phys. Earth. Planet. Inter. 98, 17-29 (1996).