Relation between the high density phase and the very-high density phase of amorphous solid water.

It has been suggested that high-density amorphous (HDA) ice is a structurally arrested form of high-density liquid (HDL) water, while low-density amorphous ice is a structurally arrested form of low-density liquid (LDL) water. Recent experiments and simulations have been interpreted to support the possibility of a second distinct high-density structural state, named very high-density amorphous (VHDA) ice, questioning the LDL-HDL hypothesis. We test this interpretation using extensive computer simulations and find that VHDA is a more stable form of HDA and that, in fact, VHDA should be considered as the amorphous ice of the quenched HDL.