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The dynamic diamond anvil cell (dDAC) is a recently developed experimental platform that has shown promise for studying the behavior of materials at strain rates ranging from intermediate to quasi-static and shock compression regimes. Combining dDAC with time-resolved x-ray diffraction (XRD) in the radial geometry (i.e., with incident x-rays perpendicular to the axis of compression) enables the study of material properties such as strength, texture evolution, and deformation mechanisms. This work describes a radial XRD dDAC setup at beamline P02.2 (Extreme Conditions Beamline) at DESY's PETRA III synchrotron. Time-resolved radial XRD data are collected for titanium, zirconium, and zircon samples, demonstrating the ability to study the strength and texture of materials at compression rates above 300 GPa/s. In addition, the simultaneous optical imaging of the DAC sample chamber is demonstrated. The ability to conduct simultaneous radial XRD and optical imaging provides the opportunity to characterize plastic strain and deviatoric strain rates in the DAC at intermediate rates, exploring the strength and deformation mechanisms of materials in this regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A resistively-heated dynamic diamond anvil cell (RHdDAC) setup is presented. The setup enables the dynamic compression of samples at high temperatures by employing a piezoelectric actuator for pressure control and internal heaters for high temperature. The RHdDAC facilitates the precise control of compression rates and was tested in compression experiments at temperatures up to 1400 K and pressures of ∼130 GPa. The mechanical stability of metallic glass gaskets composed of a FeSiB alloy was examined under simultaneous high-pressure/high-temperature conditions. High-temperature dynamic compression experiments on H2O ice and (Mg, Fe)O ferropericlase were performed in combination with time-resolved x-ray diffraction measurements to characterize crystal structures and compression behaviors. The employment of high brilliance synchrotron radiation combined with two fast GaAs LAMBDA detectors available at the Extreme Conditions Beamline (P02.2) at PETRA III (DESY) facilitates the collection of data with excellent pressure resolution. The pressure–temperature conditions achievable with the RHdDAC combined with its ability to cover a wide range of compression rates and perform tailored compression paths offers perspectives for a variety of future experiments under extreme conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fast compression experiments performed using dynamic diamond anvil cells (dDACs) employing piezoactuators offer the opportunity to study compression-rate dependent phenomena. In this paper, we describe an experimental setup which allows us to perform time-resolved x-ray diffraction during the fast compression of materials using improved dDACs. The combination of the high flux available using a 25.6 keV x-ray beam focused with a linear array of compound refractive lenses and the two fast GaAs LAMBDA detectors available at the Extreme Conditions Beamline (P02.2) at PETRA III enables the collection of x-ray diffraction patterns at an effective repetition rate of up to 4 kHz. Compression rates of up to 160 TPa/s have been achieved during the compression of gold in a 2.5 ms fast compression using improved dDAC configurations with more powerful piezoactuators. The application of this setup to low-Z compounds at lower compression rates is described, and the high temporal resolution of the setup is demonstrated. The possibility of applying finely tuned pressure profiles opens opportunities for future research, such as using oscillations of the piezoactuator to mimic propagation of seismic waves in the Earth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metallic osmium (Os) is one of the most exceptional elemental materials, having, at ambient pressure, the highest known density and one of the highest cohesive energies and melting temperatures. It is also very incompressible, but its high-pressure behaviour is not well understood because it has been studied so far only at pressures below 75 gigapascals. Here we report powder X-ray diffraction measurements on Os at multi-megabar pressures using both conventional and double-stage diamond anvil cells, with accurate pressure determination ensured by first obtaining self-consistent equations of state of gold, platinum, and tungsten in static experiments up to 500 gigapascals. These measurements allow us to show that Os retains its hexagonal close-packed structure upon compression to over 770 gigapascals. But although its molar volume monotonically decreases with pressure, the unit cell parameter ratio of Os exhibits anomalies at approximately 150 gigapascals and 440 gigapascals. Dynamical mean-field theory calculations suggest that the former anomaly is a signature of the topological change of the Fermi surface for valence electrons. However, the anomaly at 440 gigapascals might be related to an electronic transition associated with pressure-induced interactions between core electrons. The ability to affect the core electrons under static high-pressure experimental conditions, even for incompressible metals such as Os, opens up opportunities to search for new states of matter under extreme compression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A detailed description is presented of the Extreme Conditions Beamline P02.2 for micro X-ray diffraction studies of matter at simultaneous high pressure and high/low temperatures at PETRA III, in Hamburg, Germany. This includes performance of the X-ray optics and instrumental resolution as well as an overview of the different sample environments available for high-pressure studies in the diamond anvil cell. Particularly emphasized are the high-brilliance and high-energy X-ray diffraction capabilities of the beamline in conjunction with the use of fast area detectors to conduct time-resolved compression studies in the millisecond time regime. Finally, the current capability of the Extreme Conditions Science Infrastructure to support high-pressure research at the Extreme Conditions Beamline and other PETRA III beamlines is described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geochemical, cosmochemical, geophysical, and mineral physics data suggest that iron (or iron-nickel alloy) is the main component of the Earth's core. The inconsistency between the density of pure iron at pressure and temperature conditions of the Earth's core and seismological observations can be explained by the presence of light elements. However, the low shear wave velocity and high Poisson's ratio of the Earth's core remain enigmatic. Here we experimentally investigate the effect of carbon on the elastic properties of iron at high pressures and temperatures and report a high-pressure orthorhombic phase of iron carbide, Fe7C3. We determined the crystal structure of the material at ambient conditions and investigated its stability and behaviour at pressures up to 205 GPa and temperatures above 3,700 K using single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction, Mössbauer spectroscopy, and nuclear inelastic scattering. Estimated shear wave and compressional wave velocities show that Fe7C3 exhibits a lower shear wave velocity than pure iron and a Poisson's ratio similar to that of the Earth's inner core. We suggest that carbon alloying significantly modifies the properties of iron at extreme conditions to approach the elastic behaviour of rubber. Thus, the presence of carbon may explain the anomalous elastic properties of the Earth's core. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synchrotron X-ray diffraction studies of the structural characteristics of BaTaFeSiO langasite are performed at high hydrostatic pressures (up to 60 GPa) created in a diamond anvil cell. At pressures up to 20 GPa, the Mössbauer absorption spectra for Fe nuclei and the Raman spectra are recorded. Two structural phase transitions at P ≈ 5.5 and 20 GPa are observed. The first transition corresponds to the displacements of light oxygen atoms and to an increase in the local symmetry of 3 f oxygen tetrahedra surrounding iron ions. The second one is accompanied by a pronounced change in the lattice parameter c, and the unit cell volume undergoes a stepwise drop as large as 8.6%. An appreciable decrease in the parameter c at the structural transition should result in a significant increase in the exchange coupling constants between iron ions in neighboring ab planes underlying the giant increase in the Néel temperature in this crystal at pressures exceeding 20 GPa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diamond anvil cell (DAC) technique coupled with laser heating is a major method for studying materials statically at multimegabar pressures and at high temperatures. Recent progress in experimental techniques, especially in high-pressure single crystal X-ray diffraction, requires portable laser heating systems which are able to heat and move the DAC during data collection. We have developed a double-sided laser heating system for DACs which can be mounted within a rather small (∼0.1 m2) area and has a weight of ∼12 kg. The system is easily transferable between different in-house or synchrotron facilities and can be assembled and set up within a few hours. The system was successfully tested at the High Pressure Station of White Beam (ID09a) and Nuclear Resonance (ID18) beamlines of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility. We demonstrate examples of application of the system to a single crystal X-ray diffraction investigation of (Mg0.87,Fe3+0.09,Fe2+0.04)(Si0.89,Al0.11)O3 perovskite (ID09a) and a Synchrotron Mössbauer Source (SMS) study of (Mg0.8Fe0.2)O ferropericlase (ID18). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In situ high-pressure X-ray diffraction experiments and reverse Monte Carlo simulations on Pd 81 Si 19 glassy alloy were performed up to ∼35 GPa. High-quality structure factor data with a q range up to 13.5 Å −1 were obtained. The pressure dependence of the relative volume of Pd 81 Si 19 glassy alloy can be well described by a third-order Birch–Murnaghan equation of state with bulk modulus of B 0 = 229 GPa and a pressure derivative of B 0 ′ = 2.7 . The continuous and monotonic change of relative volume as a function of pressure does not indicate any first-order phase transitions in Pd 81 Si 19 glassy alloy in the studied pressure range. The pressure dependence of the atomic structures was systematically investigated by means of bond angle distribution, the Honeycutt and Andersen index, Voronoi tessellation, total and partial coordination numbers, and local chemical ordering analyses. It is found that the topological and chemical atomic structures of the Pd 81 Si 19 glassy alloy do not change much with pressure, indicating the stability of this material under pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a Mössbauer spectroscopic study of cementite (Fe3C) in a diamond anvil cell up to 88 GPa. The hyperfine parameters reveal a two-stage loss of magnetism in Fe3C: a ferro-to-paramagnetic transition around 8-10 GPa and a spin transition at about 22 GPa. Full structural refinement based on single-crystal x-ray diffraction data collected at pressures up to ∼50 GPa reveals that there are no structural changes associated with the electronic transitions in Fe3C. Our Rapid Communication resolves the long-standing controversy regarding the nature of phase transitions in Fe3C at high pressures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The effect of spin crossover in lower mantle silicate perovskite (Pv) and ferropericlase (Fp) on the iron partitioning between these two phases remains uncertain, mainly due to the lack of in situ experiments under the relevant pressure and temperature conditions. By combining in situ synchrotron X-ray absorption and diffraction measurements on synthetic ringwoodite and natural (Mg0.88Fe0.12)2SiO4 San Carlos olivine at pressures between 22GPa and 115GPa treated at temperatures of 1950–2300K, we found that temperature promotes iron partitioning into Pv, while pressure acts oppositely. There is only a limited effect of spin crossover in co-existing Pv and Fp on iron partitioning which cannot produce an appreciable chemical inhomogeneity within the Earth''s lower mantle spin transition zone. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]