Atomistic deformation mechanism of silicon under laser-driven shock compression

Silicon (Si) is one of the most abundant elements on Earth, and it is the most widely used semiconductor. Despite extensive study, some properties of Si, such as its behaviour under dynamic compression, remain elusive. A detailed understanding of Si deformation is crucial for various fields, ranging from planetary science to materials design. Simulations suggest that in Si the shear stress generated during shock compression is released via a high-pressure phase transition, challenging the classical picture of relaxation via defect-mediated plasticity. However, direct evidence supporting either deformation mechanism remains elusive. Here, we use sub-picosecond, highly-monochromatic x-ray diffraction to study (100)-oriented single-crystal Si under laser-driven shock compression. We provide the first unambiguous, time-resolved picture of Si deformation at ultra-high strain rates, demonstrating the predicted shear release via phase transition. Our results resolve the longstanding controversy on silicon deformation and provide direct proof of strain rate-dependent deformation mechanisms in a non-metallic system.

Understanding the how silicon deforms under pressure is important for several fields, including planetary science and materials design. Laser-driven shock compression experiments now confirm that shear stress generated during compression is released via a high-pressure phase transition.

Femtosecond quantification of void evolution during rapid material failure

Understanding high-velocity impact, and the subsequent high strain rate material deformation and potential catastrophic failure, is of critical importance across a range of scientific and engineering disciplines that include astrophysics, materials science, and aerospace engineering. The deformation and failure mechanisms are not thoroughly understood, given the challenges of experimentally quantifying material evolution at extremely short time scales. Here, copper foils are rapidly strained via picosecond laser ablation and probed in situ with femtosecond x-ray free electron (XFEL) pulses. Small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) monitors the void distribution evolution, while wide-angle scattering (WAXS) simultaneously determines the strain evolution. The ability to quantifiably characterize the nanoscale during high strain rate failure with ultrafast SAXS, complementing WAXS, represents a broadening in the range of science that can be performed with XFEL. It is shown that ultimate failure occurs via void nucleation, growth, and coalescence, and the data agree well with molecular dynamics simulations.

Nonisentropic Release of a Shocked Solid

We present molecular dynamics simulations of shock and release in micron-scale tantalum crystals that exhibit postbreakout temperatures far exceeding those expected under the standard assumption of isentropic release. We show via an energy-budget analysis that this is due to plastic-work heating from material strength that largely counters thermoelastic cooling. The simulations are corroborated by experiments where the release temperatures of laser-shocked tantalum foils are deduced from their thermal strains via in situ x-ray diffraction and are found to be close to those behind the shock.

Direct imaging of ultrafast lattice dynamics

Under rapid high-temperature, high-pressure loading, lattices exhibit complex elastic-inelastic responses. The dynamics of these responses are challenging to measure experimentally because of high sample density and extremely small relevant spatial and temporal scales. Here, we use an x-ray free-electron laser providing simultaneous in situ direct imaging and x-ray diffraction to spatially resolve lattice dynamics of silicon under high-strain rate conditions. We present the first imaging of a new intermediate elastic feature modulating compression along the axis of applied stress, and we identify the structure, compression, and density behind each observed wave. The ultrafast probe x-rays enabled time-resolved characterization of the intermediate elastic feature, which is leveraged to constrain kinetic inhibition of the phase transformation between 2 and 4 ns. These results not only address long-standing questions about the response of silicon under extreme environments but also demonstrate the potential for ultrafast direct measurements to illuminate new lattice dynamics.

Laser-wakefield accelerators for high-resolution X-ray imaging of complex microstructures

Laser-wakefield accelerators (LWFAs) are high acceleration-gradient plasma-based particle accelerators capable of producing ultra-relativistic electron beams. Within the strong focusing fields of the wakefield, accelerated electrons undergo betatron oscillations, emitting a bright pulse of X-rays with a micrometer-scale source size that may be used for imaging applications. Non-destructive X-ray phase contrast imaging and tomography of heterogeneous materials can provide insight into their processing, structure, and performance. To demonstrate the imaging capability of X-rays from an LWFA we have examined an irregular eutectic in the aluminum-silicon (Al-Si) system. The lamellar spacing of the Al-Si eutectic microstructure is on the order of a few micrometers, thus requiring high spatial resolution. We present comparisons between the sharpness and spatial resolution in phase contrast images of this eutectic alloy obtained via X-ray phase contrast imaging at the Swiss Light Source (SLS) synchrotron and X-ray projection microscopy via an LWFA source. An upper bound on the resolving power of 2.7 ± 0.3 μm of the LWFA source in this experiment was measured. These results indicate that betatron X-rays from laser wakefield acceleration can provide an alternative to conventional synchrotron sources for high resolution imaging of eutectics and, more broadly, complex microstructures.

Femtosecond X-Ray Diffraction Studies of the Reversal of the Microstructural Effects of Plastic Deformation during Shock Release of Tantalum

We have used femtosecond x-ray diffraction to study laser-shocked fiber-textured polycrystalline tantalum targets as the 37-253 GPa shock waves break out from the free surface. We extract the time and depth-dependent strain profiles within the Ta target as the rarefaction wave travels back into the bulk of the sample. In agreement with molecular dynamics simulations, the lattice rotation and the twins that are formed under shock compression are observed to be almost fully eliminated by the rarefaction process.

Crisis plans in a home treatment team before and after a quality improvement programme

Aims and method

To measure the take-up of formal crisis plans in a specialist home treatment team (HTT) serving an ethnically diverse urban population; and to implement a quality improvement programme and measure its impact on crisis plan completion. Two audits were completed of patients before and after the implementation of a quality improvement programme. Descriptive data are shown by ethnic group, by gender, and for people with multiple hospital admissions.

Results

At baseline, 16.7% of patients at high risk of admission had an HTT crisis plan, compared with 26.7% of a comparison group. Only 23.1% of the crisis plans for patients with a history of frequent admission mentioned the prevention of future admissions. Crisis plan completion improved following the quality improvement programme, when 80.0% of discharges had an HTT crisis plan; of these, 73.0% mentioned admission prevention. In the follow-up audit, 22.7% of patients in the multiple admission group had been readmitted to hospital at least once. Crisis plan completion did not appear to differ by ethnic group or gender and did not appear to be related to hospital readmission.

Clinical implications

Crisis plan completion improved with simple practical methods, but completion was unrelated to gender, ethnicity or later readmission.

Direct Observation of Melting in Shock-Compressed Bismuth With Femtosecond X-ray Diffraction

The melting of bismuth in response to shock compression has been studied using in situ femtosecond x-ray diffraction at an x-ray free electron laser. Both solid-solid and solid-liquid phase transitions are documented using changes in discrete diffraction peaks and the emergence of broad, liquid scattering upon release from shock pressures up to 14 GPa. The transformation from the solid state to the liquid is found to occur in less than 3 ns, very much faster than previously believed. These results are the first quantitative measurements of a liquid material obtained on shock release using x-ray diffraction, and provide an upper limit for the time scale of melting of bismuth under shock loading.

Imaging Shock Waves in Diamond with Both High Temporal and Spatial Resolution at an XFEL

The advent of hard x-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) has opened up a variety of scientific opportunities in areas as diverse as atomic physics, plasma physics, nonlinear optics in the x-ray range, and protein crystallography. In this article, we access a new field of science by measuring quantitatively the local bulk properties and dynamics of matter under extreme conditions, in this case by using the short XFEL pulse to image an elastic compression wave in diamond. The elastic wave was initiated by an intense optical laser pulse and was imaged at different delay times after the optical pump pulse using magnified x-ray phase-contrast imaging. The temporal evolution of the shock wave can be monitored, yielding detailed information on shock dynamics, such as the shock velocity, the shock front width, and the local compression of the material. The method provides a quantitative perspective on the state of matter in extreme conditions.

Single Hit Energy-resolved Laue Diffraction

In situ white light Laue diffraction has been successfully used to interrogate the structure of single crystal materials undergoing rapid (nanosecond) dynamic compression up to megabar pressures. However, information on strain state accessible via this technique is limited, reducing its applicability for a range of applications. We present an extension to the existing Laue diffraction platform in which we record the photon energy of a subset of diffraction peaks. This allows for a measurement of the longitudinal and transverse strains in situ during compression. Consequently, we demonstrate measurement of volumetric compression of the unit cell, in addition to the limited aspect ratio information accessible in conventional white light Laue. We present preliminary results for silicon, where only an elastic strain is observed. VISAR measurements show the presence of a two wave structure and measurements show that material downstream of the second wave does not contribute to the observed diffraction peaks, supporting the idea that this material may be highly disordered, or has undergone large scale rotation.

Single photon energy dispersive x-ray diffraction

With the pressure range accessible to laser driven compression experiments on solid material rising rapidly, new challenges in the diagnosis of samples in harsh laser environments are emerging. When driving to TPa pressures (conditions highly relevant to planetary interiors), traditional x-ray diffraction techniques are plagued by increased sources of background and noise, as well as a potential reduction in signal. In this paper we present a new diffraction diagnostic designed to record x-ray diffraction in low signal-to-noise environments. By utilising single photon counting techniques we demonstrate the ability to record diffraction patterns on nanosecond timescales, and subsequently separate, photon-by-photon, signal from background. In doing this, we mitigate many of the issues surrounding the use of high intensity lasers to drive samples to extremes of pressure, allowing for structural information to be obtained in a regime which is currently largely unexplored.

Ultrafast three-dimensional imaging of lattice dynamics in individual gold nanocrystals

Key insights into the behavior of materials can be gained by observing their structure as they undergo lattice distortion. Laser pulses on the femtosecond time scale can be used to induce disorder in a "pump-probe" experiment with the ensuing transients being probed stroboscopically with femtosecond pulses of visible light, x-rays, or electrons. Here we report three-dimensional imaging of the generation and subsequent evolution of coherent acoustic phonons on the picosecond time scale within a single gold nanocrystal by means of an x-ray free-electron laser, providing insights into the physics of this phenomenon. Our results allow comparison and confirmation of predictive models based on continuum elasticity theory and molecular dynamics simulations.

Strength of shock-loaded single-crystal tantalum [100] determined using in situ broadband x-ray Laue diffraction

The strength of shock-loaded single crystal tantalum [100] has been experimentally determined using in situ broadband x-ray Laue diffraction to measure the strain state of the compressed crystal, and elastic constants calculated from first principles. The inferred strength reaches 35 GPa at a shock pressure of 181 GPa and is in excellent agreement with a multiscale strength model [N. R. Barton et al., J. Appl. Phys. 109, 073501 (2011)], which employs a hierarchy of simulation methods over a range of length scales to calculate strength from first principles.

Resonant Kα spectroscopy of solid-density aluminum plasmas

The x-ray intensities made available by x-ray free electron lasers (FEL) open up new x-ray matter interaction channels not accessible with previous sources. We report here on the resonant generation of Kα emission, that is to say the production of copious Kα radiation by tuning the x-ray FEL pulse to photon energies below that of the K edge of a solid aluminum sample. The sequential absorption of multiple photons in the same atom during the 80 fs pulse, with photons creating L-shell holes and then one resonantly exciting a K-shell electron into one of these holes, opens up a channel for the Kα production, as well as the absorption of further photons. We demonstrate rich spectra of such channels, and investigate the emission produced by tuning the FEL energy to the K-L transitions of those highly charged ions that have transition energies below the K edge of the cold material. The spectra are sensitive to x-ray intensity dependent opacity effects, with ions containing L-shell holes readily reabsorbing the Kα radiation.

Direct measurements of the ionization potential depression in a dense plasma

We have used the Linac Coherent Light Source to generate solid-density aluminum plasmas at temperatures of up to 180 eV. By varying the photon energy of the x rays that both create and probe the plasma, and observing the K-α fluorescence, we can directly measure the position of the K edge of the highly charged ions within the system. The results are found to disagree with the predictions of the extensively used Stewart-Pyatt model, but are consistent with the earlier model of Ecker and Kröll, which predicts significantly greater depression of the ionization potential.

Generation of nanoparticles of controlled size using ultrasonic piezoelectric oscillators in solution

We demonstrate the operation of a device that can produce chitosan nanoparticles in a tunable size range from 50-300 nm with small size dispersion. A piezoelectric oscillator operated at megahertz frequencies is used to aerosolize a solution containing dissolved chitosan. The solvent is then evaporated from the aerosolized droplets in a heat pipe, leaving monodisperse nanoparticles to be collected. The nanoparticle size is controlled both by the concentration of the dissolved polymer and by the size of the aerosol droplets that are created. Our device can be used with any polymer or polymer/therapeutic combination that can be prepared in a homogeneous solution and vaporized.

The strength of single crystal copper under uniaxial shock compression at 100 GPa

In situ x-ray diffraction has been used to measure the shear strain (and thus strength) of single crystal copper shocked to 100 GPa pressures at strain rates over two orders of magnitude higher than those achieved previously. For shocks in the [001] direction there is a significant associated shear strain, while shocks in the [111] direction give negligible shear strain. We infer, using molecular dynamics simulations and VISAR (standing for 'velocity interferometer system for any reflector') measurements, that the strength of the material increases dramatically (to approximately 1 GPa) for these extreme strain rates.

A combination of CLA-DAG oil modifies the diabetic phenotype in male Zucker diabetic fatty rats

A number of human and animal studies using conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) or diacylglycerol (DAG) oil have shown positive physiological effects on abdominal adiposity, plasma triglycerides, plasma glucose, and insulin sensitivity. A novel DAG composition containing CLA called CLA diacylglyceride (CLA-DAG) may offer potential as a therapeutic agent in reducing some of the symptoms associated with the diabetic phenotype and metabolic syndrome. This study was designed to investigate the effect of CLA-DAG oil on the diabetic phenotype in male Zucker diabetic fatty rats. Animals were assigned to one of four groups: control (C), rosiglitazone (ROS), CLA-DAG, or CLA as free fatty acid (CLA-FFA). After 11 weeks, body weight was higher and kidney weight was lower in the CLA-DAG and ROS groups compared with the C group. The ROS treatment increased the percentage of body fat as compared with all other groups. Final fasting blood glucose was lower in the CLA-DAG and ROS groups than in the C group. Plasma cholesterol was lower in the CLA-DAG group, and plasma triglycerides were lower in the ROS group compared with the C group. We also observed changes in transcript abundance of PPAR-gamma, PPAR-alpha, FAS, LPL, UCP2, UCP3, CPT1, RxR, ObRb, ApoAII, ApoD, and IRS1 in liver, muscle, and adipose tissue, suggesting treatment-induced effects on these genes. Collectively, these data suggest the need for further research on the therapeutic relevance of CLA-DAG oil in obesity and diabetes. Future research should also differentiate between CLA alone and DAG alone compared with the combination.

Topologically clean distance fields

Analysis of the results obtained from material simulations is important in the physical sciences. Our research was motivated by the need to investigate the properties of a simulated porous solid as it is hit by a projectile. This paper describes two techniques for the generation of distance fields containing a minimal number of topological features, and we use them to identify features of the material. We focus on distance fields defined on a volumetric domain considering the distance to a given surface embedded within the domain. Topological features of the field are characterized by its critical points. Our first method begins with a distance field that is computed using a standard approach, and simplifies this field using ideas from Morse theory. We present a procedure for identifying and extracting a feature set through analysis of the MS complex, and apply it to find the invariants in the clean distance field. Our second method proceeds by advancing a front, beginning at the surface, and locally controlling the creation of new critical points. We demonstrate the value of topologically clean distance fields for the analysis of filament structures in porous solids. Our methods produce a curved skeleton representation of the filaments that helps material scientists to perform a detailed qualitative and quantitative analysis of pores, and hence infer important material properties. Furthermore, we provide a set of criteria for finding the "difference" between two skeletal structures, and use this to examine how the structure of the porous solid changes over several timesteps in the simulation of the particle impact.

Shock waves in polycrystalline iron

The propagation of shock waves through polycrystalline iron is explored by large-scale atomistic simulations. For large enough shock strengths the passage of the wave causes the body-centered-cubic phase to transform into a close-packed phase with most structure being isotropic hexagonal-close-packed (hcp) and, depending on shock strength and grain orientation, some fraction of face-centered-cubic (fcc) structure. The simulated shock Hugoniot is compared to experiments. By calculating the extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) directly from the atomic configurations, a comparison to experimental EXAFS measurements of nanosecond-laser shocks shows that the experimental data is consistent with such a phase transformation. However, the atomistically simulated EXAFS spectra also show that an experimental distinction between the hcp or fcc phase is not possible based on the spectra alone.