The dielectric model function. An evidence for the nu3(SO4-) phonon mixing in gypsum using polarized IR specular reflectance spectroscopy.

A complete investigation of the phonon mixing in the nu3(SO4(2-)) frequency region was made, under experimental geometry where the reflecting crystal plane and the plane of incidence contain two principal dielectric axes. It was shown that although it is monoclinic, in the frequency region under inspection, gypsum could be treated as an orthorhombic crystal. More sophisticated model dielectric functions were introduced for the explanation of the Evans holes in the reflectance spectra. Using the model dielectric function, an appearance of the shoulder at the higher frequency part of the reflectance band was explained in terms of longitudinal and quasilongitudinal phonons. A possibility for Evans type interaction was encountered between the nu3(SO4(2-)) Au symmetry type mode and probably some of the combination modes.