Speaker
Description
The Diamond-window-Paris–Edinburgh Cell (D-PEC) system is designed to combine a Paris–Edinburgh press with large-volume diamond-anvil chambers for experiments under simultaneous high-pressure and high-temperature conditions, up to 10 GPa and 1000 K. The setup enables optical access for in-situ measurements and observations. Compared with conventional diamond-anvil cell experiments, the various D-PEC configurations provide substantially larger sample volumes exceeding 100 mm³. This allows larger sample quantities to be investigated and recovered for complementary in-situ and ex-situ characterization. For irradiation experiments, the D-PEC assembly is mounted on a remote-controlled platform available at GSI, that enables precise alignment and multi-axial positioning of the sample in the ion beam. Therefore, it provides an experimental approach for directly investigating irradiation-induced changes in minerals and materials under geological conditions.
The system is currently undergoing testing and calibration. Initial irradiation experiments investigating ion-induced amorphization of ZrSiO₄ using U⁹²⁺ ions show disruption of the crystal lattice along the ion-beam trajectory, with spatial variations in the structural response. In the future, such studies will allow structural modifications to be monitored in real time by in-situ Raman spectroscopy. Recovered samples will be further characterized ex-situ using techniques such as EPMA, EBSD and TEM to assess the changes.
Furthermore, we aim to investigate differences in material response between pre- and in-situ irradiated samples under varying pressure and temperature conditions. Comparing these results will contribute to a deeper understanding of radiation-induced transformations in complex materials under geologically relevant conditions. Given the many possibilities this work has opened up, the authors gratefully acknowledge funding and beamtime provided by the GSI, as well as funding from the BMBF-ErUM (05K22VH1).