Ultrahigh-Pressure Melting of Lead: A Multidisciplinary Study

Extreme Hardening of Pb at High Pressure and Strain Rate

We study the high-pressure strength of Pb and Pb-4wt%Sb at the National Ignition Facility. We measure Rayleigh-Taylor growth of preformed ripples ramp compressed to ∼400  GPa peak pressure, among the highest-pressure strength measurements ever reported on any platform. We find agreement with 2D simulations using the Improved Steinberg-Guinan strength model for body-centered-cubic Pb; the Pb-4wt%Sb alloy behaves similarly within the error bars. The combination of high-rate, pressure-induced hardening and polymorphism yield an average inferred flow stress of ∼3.8  GPa at high pressure, a ∼250-fold increase, changing Pb from soft to extremely strong.

Laser-heating system for high-pressure X-ray diffraction at the Extreme Conditions beamline I15 at Diamond Light Source

In this article, the specification and application of the new double-sided YAG laser-heating system built on beamline I15 at Diamond Light Source are presented. This system, combined with diamond anvil cell and X-ray diffraction techniques, allows in situ and ex situ characterization of material properties at extremes of pressure and temperature. In order to demonstrate the reliability and stability of this experimental setup over a wide range of pressure and temperature, a case study was performed and the phase diagram of lead was investigated up to 80 GPa and 3300 K. The obtained results agree with previously published experimental and theoretical data, underlining the quality and reliability of the installed setup.

Melting of Sn at high pressure: comparisons with Pb

Measurements for Sn, made using the laser-heated diamond cell, are reported that extend the melting curve to 68 GPa and 2300 K. Initially the melting temperature of Sn increases linearly with increasing pressure (dT/dP approximately 40 K/GPa) and near 38 GPa (2200 K) the melting curve flattens (dT/dP approximately 0), indicating a zero volume phase change at melting. The results are in good agreement with previously reported shock melting studies. In comparison to Sn the melting curve of Pb is relatively linear to 100 GPa, the highest pressure at which measurements have been made.

High-Temperature Phase Transition and Dissociation of (Mg, Fe)SiO 3 Perovskite at Lower Mantle Pressures

To study the crystallography of Earth's lower mantle, techniques for measuring synchrotron x-ray diffraction from a laser-heated diamond anvil cell have been developed. Experiments on samples of (Mg, Fe)SiO(3) show that silicate perovskite maintains its orthorhombic symmetry at 38 gigapascals and 1850 kelvin. Measurements at 65 and 70 gigapascals provide evidence for a temperature-induced orthorhombic-to-cubic phase transition and dissociation to an assemblage of perovskite and mixed oxides. If these phase transitions occur in Earth, they will require a significant change in mineralogical models of the lower mantle.