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An optimal protocol for the current-induced switching of a perpendicularly magnetized nanoelement placed on the surface of a topological insulator is presented. The time dependence of both in-plane components of the surface current that induces the magnetization reversal via Dirac spin-orbit torque with minimal Joule heating is derived analytically as a function of the required switching time and material properties. It is demonstrated that a particularly energy-efficient switching is realized for vanishing dampinglike torque. The optimal reversal time providing a tradeoff between the switching speed and energy efficiency is derived. The obtained switching protocol is contrasted with the one realized in heavy-metal systems. Topological insulators provide a highly tunable platform for the realization of energy-efficient magnetization switching.

Cubic chiral magnets exhibit a remarkable diversity of two-dimensional topological magnetic textures, including skyrmions. However, the experimental confirmation of topological states localized in all three spatial dimensions remains challenging. In this paper, we investigate a three-dimensional topological state called a heliknoton, which is a hopfion embedded into a helix or conic background. We explore the range of parameters at which the heliknoton can be stabilized under realistic conditions using micromagnetic modeling, harmonic transition state theory, and stochastic spin dynamics simulations. We present theoretical Lorentz TEM images of the heliknoton, which can be used for experimental comparison. Additionally, we discuss the stability of the heliknoton at finite temperatures and the mechanism of its collapse. Our study offers a pathway for future experimental investigations of three-dimensional topological solitons in magnetic crystals., Comment: 16 pages, 5 figures

We have written expressions for the free energy of a cholesteric liquid crystal in an approximation using the elasticity constants K_1, K_2, K_3 and the energy variation and the corresponding energy and energy gradient along the direction of the director vector n at each lattice point for the lattice model. A feature of this lattice model is the shift of the n components in space relative to each other. An assessment has been made of the error associated with the respective substitution. Such an approach can increase the accuracy of calculations of the energy and dynamics of localized states in liquid crystals on low-density lattices., Comment: 12 pages, 1 figure

It is demonstrated by means of the optimal control theory that the energy cost of the spin-orbit torque induced reversal of a nanomagnet with perpendicular anisotropy can be strongly reduced by proper shaping of both in-plane components of the current pulse. The time-dependence of the optimal switching pulse that minimizes the energy cost associated with Joule heating is derived analytically in terms of the required reversal time and material properties. The optimal reversal time providing a tradeoff between the switching speed and energy efficiency is obtained. A sweet-spot balance between the field-like and damping-like components of the spin-orbit torque is discovered; it permits for a particularly efficient switching by a down-chirped rotating current pulse whose duration does not need to be adjusted precisely., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures

Topological protection of chiral magnetic structures is investigated by taking a two-dimensional magnetic skyrmion as an example. The skyrmion lifetime is calculated based on harmonic transition state theory for a discrete lattice model using various values of the ratio of the lattice constant and the skyrmion size. Parameters of the system corresponding to exchange, anisotropy and Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya interaction are chosen in such a way as to keep the energy and size of the skyrmion unchanged for small values of the lattice constant, using scaling relations derived from continuous micromagnetic description. The number of magnetic moments included in the calculations reaches more than a million. The results indicate that in the limit of infinitesimal lattice constant, the energy barrier for skyrmion collapse approaches the Belavin-Polyakov lower bound of the energy of a topological soliton in the $\sigma$-model, the entropy contribution to the pre-exponential factor in the Arrhenius rate expression for collapse approaches a constant and the skyrmion lifetime can, for large enough number of spins, correspond to thermally stable skyrmion at room temperature even without magnetic dipole-dipole interaction.

A new method for the numerical computation of the lifetimes of magnetic states within harmonic transition state theory (HTST) has been developed. In the simplest case, the system is described by a Heisenberg-like Hamiltonian with short-range interaction. Calculations are performed in Cartesian coordinates. Constraints on the values of magnetic moments are taken into account using Lagrange multipliers. The pre-exponential factor in the Arrhenius law in HTST is written in terms of the determinants of the Hessian of energy at the minima and saddle points on the multidimensional energy surface. An algorithm for calculating these determinants without searching for eigenvalues of the Hessian but using recursive relations is proposed. The method allows calculating determinants for systems containing millions of magnetic moments. This makes it possible to calculate the pre-exponential factor and estimate the lifetimes of micron-scale topological structures with atomic resolution, which until now has been impossible using standard approaches. The accuracy of the method is demonstrated by calculating 2D and 3D skyrmionic structures.

Water is abundant in natural environments but the form it resides in planetary interiors remains uncertain. We report combined synchrotron X-ray diffraction and optical spectroscopy measurements of H2O in the laser-heated diamond anvil cell up to 150 gigapascals (GPa) and 6500 kelvin (K) that reveal first-order transitions to ices with body-centered cubic (bcc) and face-centered cubic (fcc) oxygen lattices above 900 (1300) K and 20 (29) GPa, respectively. We assigned these structures to theoretically predicted superionic phases based on the distinct density, increased optical conductivity, and greatly decreased enthalpies of fusion. Our measurements address current discrepancies between theoretical predictions and various static/dynamic experiments on the existence and location of melting curve and superionic phase(s) in the pressure-temperature phase diagram indicating a possible presence of the conducting fcc-superionic phase in water-rich giant planets, such as Neptune and Uranus., Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures, 48 references

The revisited theoretical phase diagrams for thin films of cubic helimagnets with the easy-plane anisotropy are shown to have different topology as previously reported [Phys. Rev. B 85, 094429 (2012)]. For both in-plane and out-of-plane directions of an applied magnetic field, the phase diagrams exhibit extensive areas of stable skyrmions, which overlap for a wide range of anisotropy parameters. Although the existence of the out-of-plane skyrmions was contradicted within the previous theoretical models, we prove that additional surface twists lead to their stability, while the moderate easy-plane anisotropy increases the stability range of in-plane skyrmions. Moreover, the interplay between the anisotropy and the surface twists gives rise to a stable spiral state canted with respect to the surfaces. Being absent in bulk helimagnets, this oblique spiral occupies vast areas at the phase diagrams in thin-film nanosystems and serves as a connecting-link between cones and helicoids. Our theory gives clear directions for renewed experimental studies of in-plane and out-of-plane skyrmions in epitaxial MnSi(111)/Si(111) thin films.

Earth core is composed of iron (Fe) alloyed with light elements, e.g., silicon (Si). Its thermal conductivity critically affects Earth thermal structure, evolution, and dynamics, as it controls the magnitude of thermal and compositional sources required to sustain a geodynamo over Earth history. Here we directly measured thermal conductivities of solid Fe and Fe-Si alloys up to 144 GPa and 3300 K. 15 at% Si alloyed in Fe substantially reduces its conductivity by about 2 folds at 132 GPa and 3000 K. An outer core with 15 at% Si would have a conductivity of about 20 W m-1 K-1, lower than pure Fe at similar pressure-temperature conditions. This suggests a lower minimum heat flow, around 3 TW, across the core-mantle boundary than previously expected, and thus less thermal energy needed to operate the geodynamo. Our results provide key constraints on inner core age that could be older than two billion-years.

Calculations of skyrmions in antiferromagnets (AFMs) are presented, and their properties compared with skyrmions in corresponding ferromagnets (FMs). The rates of skyrmion collapse and escape through the boundary of a track, as well as the binding to and collapse at a non-magnetic impurity, are calculated as a function of applied magnetic field. The activation energy for skyrmion annihilation is the same in AFMs and corresponding FMs in the absence of an applied magnetic field. The pre-exponential factor in the Arrhenius rate law is, however, different because skyrmion dynamics is different in the two systems. An applied magnetic field has opposite effects on skyrmions in the two types of materials. In AFMs the rate of collapse of skyrmions as well as the rate of escape through the edge of a magnetic strip decreases slightly with increasing field, while these rates increase strongly for a skyrmion in the corresponding FMs when the field is directed antiparallel to the magnetization in the center of the skyrmion. A non-magnetic impurity is less likely to trap a skyrmion in AFMs especially in the presence of a magnetic field. This, together with the established fact that a spin polarized current moves skyrmions in AFMs in the direction of the current, while in FMs skyrmions move at an angle to the current, demonstrates that skyrmions in AFMs have several advantageous properties over skyrmions in FMs for memory and spintronic devices.

The heat flux across the core-mantle boundary (QCMB) is the key parameter to understand the Earth/s thermal history and evolution. Mineralogical constraints of the QCMB require deciphering contributions of the lattice and radiative components to the thermal conductivity at high pressure and temperature in lower mantle phases with depth-dependent composition. Here we determine the radiative conductivity (krad) of a realistic lower mantle (pyrolite) in situ using an ultra-bright light probe and fast time-resolved spectroscopic techniques in laser-heated diamond anvil cells. We find that the mantle opacity increases critically upon heating to ~3000 K at 40-135 GPa, resulting in an unexpectedly low radiative conductivity decreasing with depth from ~0.8 W/m/K at 1000 km to ~0.35 W/m/K at the CMB, the latter being ~30 times smaller than the estimated lattice thermal conductivity at such conditions. Thus, radiative heat transport is blocked due to an increased optical absorption in the hot lower mantle resulting in a moderate CMB heat flow of ~8.5 TW, at odds with present estimates based on the mantle and core dynamics. This moderate rate of core cooling implies an inner core age of about 1 Gy and is compatible with both thermally- and compositionally-driven ancient geodynamo.

Earth/s lowermost mantle displays complex geological structures that likely result from heterogeneous thermal and electromagnetic interaction with the core. Geophysical models of the core-mantle boundary (CMB) region rely on the thermal and electrical conductivities of appropriate geomaterials which, however, have never been probed at representative pressure and temperature (P-T) conditions. Here we report on the opacity of single crystalline bridgmanite and ferropericlase, which is linked to both their radiative and electrical conductivity, measured in dynamically- and statically-heated diamond anvil cells as well as computed from first-principles at CMB conditions. Our results show that light absorption in the visible spectral range is enhanced upon heating in both minerals but the rate of change in opacity with temperature is a factor of six higher in ferropericlase. As a result, bridgmanite in the lowermost mantle is moderately transparent while ferropericlase is highly opaque. Our measurements suggest a very low (< 1 W/m/K) and largely temperature-independent radiative conductivity in the lowermost mantle, at odds with previous studies. This implies that the radiative mechanism has not contributed significantly to cooling the Earth/s core throughout the geologic time and points to a present-day CMB heat flow of 9-11 TW. Opaque ferropericlase is electrically conducting and mediates strong core-mantle electromagnetic coupling, explaining the intradecadal oscillations in the length of day, low secular geomagnetic variations in Central Pacific, and the preferred paths of geomagnetic pole reversals.

The lifetime of antiskyrmions at room temperature in a Mn-Pt-Sn tetragonal Heusler material has been calculated using an atomic scale representation including nearly a million spins. The evaluation of the pre-exponential factor in the Arrhenius rate expression for this large system is made possible by an implementation of harmonic transition state theory that avoids evaluation of the eigenvalues of the Hessian matrix.The parameter values in the extended Heisenberg Hamiltonian, including anisotropic Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction, are chosen to reproduce experimental observations [A. K. Nayak $\it{et\,al.}$, Nature $\textbf{548}$, 561 (2017)], in particular the 150 nm diameter. The calculated results are consistent with the long lifetime observed in the laboratory and this exceptional stability of the antiskyrmions is found to result from large activation energy for collapse due to strong exchange coupling while the pre-exponential factor in the Arrhenius expression for the lifetime is found to have a typical magnitude of 10$^{-12}$ s, despite the large number of spins. The long lifetime is, therefore, found to result from energetic effects rather than entropic effects in this system.

Magnetic skyrmions are nano-scale magnetic states that could be used in various spintronics devices. A central issue is the mechanism and rate of various possible annihilation processes and the lifetime of metastable skyrmions. While most studies have focused on classical over-the-barrier mechanism for annihilation, it is also possible that quantum mechanical tunneling through the energy barrier takes place. Calculations of the lifetime of magnetic skyrmions in a two-dimensional lattice are presented and the rate of tunneling compared with the classical annihilation rate. A remarkably strong variation in the crossover temperature and the lifetime of the skyrmion is found as a function of the values of parameters in the extended Heisenberg Hamiltonian, i.e. the out-of-plane anisotropy, Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) and applied magnetic field. Materials parameters and conditions are identified where the onset of tunneling could be observed on a laboratory time scale. In particular, it is predicted that skyrmion tunneling could be observed in the PdFe/Ir(111) system when an external magnetic field on the order of 6 T is applied.

The insulator-to-metal transition in dense fluid hydrogen is an essential phenomenon to understand gas giant planetary interiors and the physical and chemical behavior of highly compressed condensed matter. Using fast laser spectroscopy techniques to probe hydrogen and deuterium precompressed in a diamond anvil cell and laser heated on microsecond timescales, we observe an onset of metal-like reflectivity in the visible spectral range at P>150 GPa and T>3000 K. The reflectance increases rapidly with decreasing photon energy indicating free-electron metallic behavior with a plasma edge in the visible spectral range at high temperatures. The reflectivity spectra also suggest much longer electronic collision time (>1 fs) than previously inferred, implying that metallic hydrogens at the conditions studied are not in the regime of saturated conductivity (Mott-Ioffe-Regel limit). Combined with previously reported data, our results suggest the existence of a semiconducting intermediate fluid hydrogen state en route to metallization., Comment: 23 pages, 15 figures

We consider topological Hall effect (THE) in thin ferromagnetic films due to electron scattering on magnetic skyrmions in the presence of the relatively strong external magnetic field. We account for the effect of the magnetic field on a skyrmion structure and describe the hallmarks of THE differentiating it from ordinary and anomalous Hall effects. We have found that, although in typical ferromagnets the variation of magnetic field in the range 1-5 T substantially affects the skyrmion size, THE changes rather weakly remaining quite robust. Therefore, the magnitude of THE is primarily determined by the skyrmions sheet density $n_{sk}$, being comparable to the magnitude of the ordinary Hall effect (OHE) at $n_{sk}=10^{11}$ cm$^{-2}$. The sign of THE is opposite to that of OHE for skyrmions with positive vorticity, while for antiskyrmions the signs are the same., Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures

Diatomic nitrogen is an archetypal molecular system known for its exceptional stability and complex behavior at high pressures and temperatures, including rich solid polymorphism, formation of energetic states, and an insulator-to-metal transformation coupled to a change in chemical bonding. However, the thermobaric conditions of the fluid molecular-polymer phase boundary and associated metallization have not been experimentally established. Here, by applying dynamic laser heating of compressed nitrogen and using fast optical spectroscopy to study electronic properties, we observe a transformation from insulating (molecular) to conducting dense fluid nitrogen at temperatures that decrease with pressure, and establish that metallization, and presumably fluid polymerization, occurs above 125 GPa at 2500 K. Our observations create a better understanding of the interplay between molecular dissociation, melting, and metallization revealing features that are common in simple molecular systems., Comment: 19 pages, 9 figures

The exceptional ability of carbon to form sp2 and sp3 bonding states leads to a great structural and chemical diversity of carbon-bearing phases at non-ambient conditions. Here we use laser-heated diamond anvil cells combined with synchrotron x-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and first-principles calculations to explore phase transitions in CaCO3 at P > 40 GPa. We find that post-aragonite CaCO3 transforms to the previously predicted P21/c-CaCO3 with sp3-hybridized carbon at 105 GPa (~30 GPa higher than the theoretically predicted crossover pressure). The lowest enthalpy transition path to P21/c-CaCO3 includes reoccurring sp2- and sp3-CaCO3 intermediate phases and transition states, as reveled by our variable-cell nudged elastic band simulation. Raman spectra of P21/c-CaCO3 show an intense band at 1025 cm-1, which we assign to the symmetric C-O stretching vibration based on empirical and first principles calculations. This Raman band has a frequency that is ~20 % lower than the symmetric C-O stretching in sp2-CaCO3, due to the C-O bond length increase across the sp2-sp3 transition, and can be used as a fingerprint of tetrahedrally-coordinated carbon in other carbonates.

The stability of skyrmions in various environments is estimated by analyzing the multidimensional surface describing the energy of the system as a function of the directions of the magnetic moments in the system. The energy is given by a Heisenberg-like Hamiltonian that includes Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction, anisotropy and external magnetic field. Local minima on this surface correspond to the ferromagnetic and skyrmion states. Minimum energy paths (MEP) between the minima are calculated using the geodesic nudged elastic band method. The maximum energy along an MEP corresponds to a first order saddle point on the energy surface and gives an estimate of the activation energy for the magnetic transition, such as creation and annihilation of a skyrmion. The pre-exponential factor in the Arrhenius law for the rate, the so-called attempt frequency, is estimated within harmonic transition state theory where the eigenvalues of the Hessian at the saddle point and the local minima are used to characterize the shape of the energy surface. For some degrees of freedom, so-called 'zero modes', the energy of the system remains invariant. They need to be treated separately and give rise to temperature dependence of the attempt frequency. As an example application of this general theory, the lifetime of a skyrmion in a track of finite width for a PdFe overlayer on a Ir(111) substrate is calculated as a function of track width and external magnetic field. Also, the effect of non-magnetic impurities is studied. Various MEPs for annihilation inside a track, via the boundary of a track and at an impurity are presented. The attempt frequency as well as the activation energy has been calculated for each mechanism to estimate the transition rate as a function of temperature.

The skyrmion racetrack is a promising concept for future information technology. There, binary bits are carried by nanoscale spin swirls -- skyrmions -- driven along magnetic strips. Stability of the skyrmions is a critical issue for the realization of this technology. Here we demonstrate that the racetrack skyrmion lifetime can be calculated from first principles as a function of temperature, magnetic field and track width. Our method combines harmonic transition state theory extended to include Goldstone modes, with an atomistic spin Hamiltonian parametrized from density functional theory calculations. We demonstrate that two annihilation mechanisms contribute to the skyrmion stability: At low external magnetic field, escape through the track boundary prevails, but a crossover field exists, above which the collapse in the interior becomes dominant. Considering a Pd/Fe bilayer on an Ir(111) substrate as a well-established model system, the calculated lifetime is found to be consistent with reported experimental measurements. Our results open the door for predictive simulations, free from empirical parameters, to aid the design of skyrmion-based information technology.

The stability of magnetic skyrmions against thermal fluctuations and external perturbations is investigated within the framework of harmonic transition state theory for magnetic degrees of freedom. The influence of confined geometry and atomic scale non-magnetic defects on the skyrmion lifetime is estimated. It is shown that a skyrmion on a track has lower activation energy for annihilation and higher energy for nucleation if the size of the skyrmion is comparable with the width of the track. Two mechanisms of skyrmion annihilation are considered: inside the track and escape through the boundary. For both mechanisms, the dependence of activation energy on the track width is calculated. Non-magnetic defects are found to localize skyrmions in their neighborhood and strongly decrease the activation energy for creation and annihilation. This is in agreement with experimental measurements that have found nucleation of skyrmions in presence of spin-polarized current preferably occurring near structural defects.

Synchrotron X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy have been used to study chemical reactions of molecular hydrogen (H2) with sulfur (S) at high pressures. We find theoretically predicted Cccm and Im-3m H3S to be the reaction products at 50 and 140 GPa, respectively. Im-3m H3S is a stable crystalline phase above 140 GPa and it transforms to R3m H3S on pressure release below 140 GPa. The latter phase is (meta)stable down to at least 70 GPa where it transforms to Cccm H3S upon annealing (T<1300 K) to overcome the kinetic hindrance. Cccm H3S has an extended structure with symmetric hydrogen bonds at 50 GPa and upon decompression it experiences a transformation to a molecular mixed H2S-H2 structure below 40 GPa without any apparent change in the crystal symmetry., Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures

Iron spin transition directly affects properties of lower mantle minerals and can thus alter geophysical and geochemical characteristics of the deep Earth. While the spin transition in ferropericlase has been vigorously established at P ~ 60 GPa and 300 K, experimental evidence for spin transitions in other rock-forming minerals, such as bridgmanite and post-perovskite, remains controversial. Multiple valence, spin, and coordination states of iron in bridgmanite and post-perovskite are difficult to resolve with conventional spin-probing techniques. Optical spectroscopy, on the other hand, is sensitive to high/low spin ferrous/ferric iron at different sites; thus, it can be a powerful probe for spin transitions. Here we establish the optical signature of low spin Fe3+O6, a plausible low spin unit in bridgmanite and post-perovskite, by optical absorption experiments in diamond anvil cells. We show that the optical absorption of Fe3+O6 in NAL (new aluminous phase) is very sensitive to the iron spin state and represents a model behavior of bridgmanite and post-perovskite in the deep lower mantle across a spin transition. Specifically, an absorption band centered at ~ 19000 cm-1 is characteristic of the 2T2g to 2T1g (2A2g) transition in low spin Fe3+ in NAL at 40 GPa. This new spectroscopic information constrains the crystal field splitting energy of low spin Fe3+ to ~ 22200 cm-1 which we also independently confirm by our first-principles calculations. Together with available information on the electronic structure of Fe3+O6-compounds, we constrain the spin-pairing energy of Fe3+ in an octahedral field to ~ 20000-23000 cm-1. This implies that octahedrally-coordinated Fe3+ in bridgmanite is low spin at P > ~ 40 GPa., Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures

Thermal conductivity of the lowermost mantle governs the heat flow out of the core energizing planetary-scale geological processes. Yet, there are no direct experimental measurements of thermal conductivity at relevant pressure-temperature conditions of Earth's core-mantle boundary. Here we determine the radiative conductivity of post-perovskite at near core-mantle boundary conditions by optical absorption measurements in a laser-heated diamond anvil cell. Our results show that the radiative conductivity of Mg0.9Fe0.1SiO3 post-perovskite (< 1.2 W/m/K) is ~ 40% smaller than bridgmanite at the base of the mantle. By combining this result with the present-day core-mantle heat flow and available estimations on the lattice thermal conductivity we conclude that post-perovskite is as abundant as bridgmanite in the lowermost mantle which has profound implications for the dynamics of the deep Earth.

The ability of Earths mantle to conduct heat by radiation is determined by optical properties of mantle phases. Optical properties of mantle minerals at high pressure are accessible through diamond anvil cell experiments, but because of the extensive thermal radiation at T above 1000 K such studies are limited to lower temperatures. Particularly uncertain is the temperature-dependence of optical properties of lower mantle minerals across the spin transition as the spin state itself is a strong function of temperature. Here we use laser-heated DACs combined with a pulsed bright supercontinuum laser probe and a synchronized time-gated detector to examine optical properties of high and low spin ferrous iron at 45-73 GPa and to 1600 K in FeO6, one of the most abundant building blocks in the mantle. Siderite (FeCO3) is used as a model for FeO6-octahedra as it contains no ferric iron and exhibits a sharp optically apparent spin transition at 44 GPa, simplifying data interpretation. We find that the optical absorbance of low spin FeO6 is substantially increased at 1000-1200 K due to the partially lifted Laporte selection rule. The temperature-induced low to high spin transition, however, results in a dramatic drop in absorbance of the FeO6-unit. The absorption edge (Fe-O charge transfer) red-shifts (~ 1 cm-1/K) with increasing temperature and at T above 1600 K becomes the dominant absorption mechanism in the visible range, suppressing radiative conductivity. This implies that the radiative conductivity of analogous FeO6-bearing minerals such as ferropericlase, the second most abundant mineral in the Earths lower mantle, is substantially reduced approaching the core-mantle boundary conditions. Finally, our results emphasize that optical properties of mantle minerals probed at room temperature are insufficient to model radiative thermal conductivity of planetary interiors.

Double stage diamond anvil cells (DAC) of two designs have been assembled and tested. We used a standard symmetric DAC as a primary stage and CVD microanvils machined by a focused ion beam - as a second. We evaluated pressure, stress, and strain distributions in Au and Fe-Au samples as well as in secondary anvils using synchrotron x-ray diffraction with a micro-focused beam. A maximum pressure of 240 GPa was reached independent of the first stage anvil culet size. We found that the stress field generated by the second stage anvils is typical of conventional DAC experiments. The maximum pressures reached are limited by strains developing in the secondary anvil and by cupping of the first stage diamond anvil in the presented experimental designs. Also, our experiments show that pressures of several megabars may be reached without sacrificing the first stage diamond anvils.

Rocky planets are thought to comprise compounds of Mg and O as these are among the most abundant elements, but knowledge of their stable phases may be incomplete. MgO is known to be remarkably stable to very high pressure and chemically inert under reduced condition of the Earth's lower mantle. However, in 'icy' gas giants as well as in exoplanets oxygen may be a more abundant constituent (Ref. 1,2). Here, using synchrotron x-ray diffraction in laser-heated diamond anvil cells, we show that MgO and oxygen react at pressures above 94 GPa and T = 2150 K with the formation of the theoretically predicted I4/mcm MgO2 (Ref.3). Raman spectroscopy detects the presence of a peroxide ion (O22-) in the synthesized material as well as in the recovered specimen. Likewise, energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy confirms that the recovered sample has higher oxygen content than pure MgO. Our finding suggests that MgO2 may substitute MgO in rocky mantles and rocky planetary cores under highly oxidizing conditions.

Optical and synchrotron x-ray diffraction diamond anvil cell experiments have been combined with first principles theoretical structure predictions to investigate mixed N2 and H2 up to 55 GPa. We found the formation of oligomeric NxH (x>1) compounds using mechano- and photochemistry at pressures above 47 and 10 GPa, respectively, and room temperature. These compounds can be recovered to ambient pressure at T<130 K, whereas at room temperature, they can be metastable down to 3.5 GPa. Our results suggest new pathways for synthesis of environmentally benign high energy-density materials and alternative planetary ice., Comment: 26 pages, 12 figures, I table

The bent crystals are applied on large accelerators to deflect particle beams in process of extraction and collimation. Recently the proposals of fixed target researches in the LHC are formulated. For realization of this program not only deflection but also focusing the LHC beam by bent crystals can be used. In the given work experimental results on 50 GeV proton beam focusing with the help of novel crystal device are reported. The positive property of this device is opportunity to work near the circulating beam of an accelerator, including the LHC.

Recently it was proposed to apply a bent single crystal with decreasing curvature instead of uniform bending for improvement of extraction and collimation of a circulating beam in particle accelerators. In the given paper created crystal devices with a variable curvature, realizing this idea are described. Results of measurement of curvature along a crystal plate are informed. It is shown, that with the help of the developed devices it is possible to carry out also high energy beam focusing. The mathematical description of this process is proposed., Comment: 9 pages, 9 figs

Neutral pion number N0 distributions for each total number of particles in event Ntot=Nch+N0 are obtained. The scaled variance of neutral pion fluctuations, omega=D/, is measured. The fluctuations increase at Ntot >22. According to quantum statistics models it may indicate for the approaching to pion condensate conditions for high pion multiplicity in the system., Comment: 8 pages, 9 figures, submitted to journal Physics of Atomic Nuclei

Project Thermalization (Experiment SERP-E-190 at IHEP) is aimed to study the proton - proton interactions at 50 GeV with large number of secondary particles. In this report the experimentally measured topological cross sections are presented taking into account the detector response and procession efficiency. These data are in good agreement with gluon dominance model. The comparison with other models is also made and shows no essential discrepancies., Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures, 2 tables. Preprint IHEP 2011-4