Meeting report: SNI2006: German Forum for Condensed Matter Research at Large Scale Facilities

More than 500 scientists working in the field of condensed matter research convened for a three-day meeting (SNI2006) in Hamburg, Germany, to present their latest results. They all share an enthusiasm for the use of large-scale facilities to probe the structure and dynamics of matter. The potential of synchrotron radiation, neutrons, particle probes and ionic beams to provide unique and complementary information in areas ranging from DNA to mechanical welds was demonstrated.     

High P–T Raman study of transitions in relaxor multiferroic Pb(Fe0.5Nb0.5)O3

The vibrational and structural properties of Pb(Fe_0.5Nb_0.5)O₃ have been investigated using Raman spectroscopy up to 40 GPa at 300 K and from 300 to 415 K at selected pressures. The measurements reveal three phase transitions, at 5.5, 8.7, and 24 GPa at room temperature. The temperature dependences of the spectra indicate transitions at 1.5 GPa, at 335 and 365 K. The results are consistent with the appearance of an intermediate tetragonal P4mm phase between the ferroelectric R3m and paraelectric Pm‐3m phases. A P–T phase diagram is proposed that allows further insight into the magnetoelectric coupling present in this material. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Structural transitions in hydrogen and deuterium at ultrahigh pressures

Abstract

Raman measurements indicate that normal hydrogen and deuterium compressed in a diamond-anvil cell at 77 K undergo phase transformations at 145 (±l5) GPa and 190 (±l20) GPa, respectively. The new observations reported for deuterium indicate that the transition in both isotopes is a structural change not associated with a simple rotational ordering mechanism. The possibility of a structural transition driven by band-gap closure is discussed.     

High P–T Brillouin scattering study of H2O melting to 26 GPa

The properties of solid and liquid phases of H₂O at high pressure and temperature remain an active area of research. In this study, Brillouin spectroscopy has been used to determine the temperature dependence of sound velocities in H₂O as a function of pressure up to 26 GPa through the phase field of ice VII and into the liquid to a maximum temperature of 1200 K. The Brillouin shift of the quasi-longitudinal acoustic mode moves to lower frequencies upon melting at each pressure. As a test of the method, measurements of the melting of Ar by Brillouin scattering at several pressures show a similar behavior for the acoustic mode, and measured melting points are consistent with previous results. The results of H₂O melting are consistent with previously reported melting curves below 20 GPa. The data at higher pressure indicate that ice melts at a higher temperature than a number of previous studies have indicated.     

High-pressure differential thermal analysis measurements of the melting curve of lithium

The pressure effect on the melting behavior of lithium has been measured by observing the latent heat signatures of melting and freezing using differential thermal analysis (DTA). Samples were repeatedly melted and recrystallized at selected pressures up to 15 GPa in a multianvil press. Despite the weak DTA signals due to small sample sizes at high pressure, the melting and freezing temperatures were clearly determined from the derivatives of the DTA traces. We measured a drop in the melting temperature between 9 and 12 GPa, yielding a maximum at 10(2) GPa and 245(2) ^°C. This work highlights both the successes and failures of recent theoretical models for the melting behavior of this and related systems.     

In situ Raman and optical microscopy of the relaxation behavior of amorphous ices under pressure

The transformation of low‐density amorphous (LDA) ice produced from high‐density amorphous (HDA) ice was studied up to 400 MPa as a function of temperature by in situ Raman spectroscopy and optical microscopy. Changes in these amorphous states of H₂O were directly tracked without using emulsions to just above the crystallization temperature T_x. The spectra show significant changes occurring above ∼125 K. The results are compared with data reported for the relaxation behavior of HDA, to form what we call relaxed HDA, or rHDA. We find a close connection with expanded HDA (eHDA), which is reported to exist as another metastable form in this P–T region. The observation of this temperature‐induced LDA transition under pressure complements the previously observed pressure‐induced reversible transition between LDA and HDA at 120–140 K. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Vibron frequencies of solid H2 and D2 to 200 GPa and implications for the P-T phase diagram

Vibrational spectroscopy of the intramolecular stretching mode (vibron) of the hydrogen isotopes has been used for the past 20 years in different laboratories using various techniques to probe phase diagrams of this system under extreme conditions. Available vibrational spectroscopy data in hydrogen and deuterium to 200 GPa at 10-300 K are analyzed and reassessed to identify the existence of an additional molecular phase (I') to phases I, II, and III previously identified at megabar pressures. The results do not support the existence of phase I' in the pressure-temperature range studied. Previously proposed boundaries between phases I, II, and III are re-examined and updated phase diagrams of hydrogen and deuterium are proposed.