Speaker
Description
Swift-heavy-ion irradiation experiments under high static pressures in diamond anvil cells (DACs) have shown that ion-induced processes can drastically influence the pressure-dependent phase behavior of materials. For example, irradiation can transform zirconia (ZrO$_2$) into the orthorhombic-II phase or induce the formation of the high-pressure zircon (ZrSiO$_4$) polymorph reidite at pressures far below its equilibrium transition pressures. [1-3] These findings demonstrate that irradiation under pressure enables access to otherwise inaccessible phases. Ion irradiation can also help stabilize high-pressure phases upon decompression. To improve spectroscopic access to experiments involving ion irradiation in DACs, a dedicated setup was developed in which irradiation occurs through the gasket rather than through the diamonds. [4] Building on this, a new project aims to extend the approach by enabling temperature control between 10 K and 1000 K during irradiation at pressures up to 80 GPa. This will allow systematic studies of beam-heating effects and phase stabilities. Furthermore, the deployment of diamonds with embedded electrodes will allow for in situ electrical conductivity measurements, providing real-time insights into irradiation-induced melting and defect-related electronic changes. Together, these developments will create a unique platform for investigating the coupled effects of pressure, temperature, and ion irradiation on condensed matter.
We acknowledge funding from the BMBF (05K25RF3) and the DFG (BA4020, WI1232).
[1] B. Schuster et al., Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. B 2009, 6, 964-968, DOI: 10.1016/j.nimb.2009.02.046
[2] M. Lang et al., Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 2008, 269, 291-295, DOI: 10.1016/j.epsl.2008.02.027
[3] J. Liang et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2026, 28(13), 7835-7839, DOI: 10.1039/d6cp00307a
[4] I. Tzifas et al., Phys. Rev. Res. 2026, 8, 023054, DOI: 10.1103/q8w6-wttf