Achieving high-density states through shock-wave loading of precompressed samples

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007 May 29;104(22):9172-7. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0608170104. Epub 2007 May 9.

Abstract

Materials can be experimentally characterized to terapascal pressures by sending a laser-induced shock wave through a sample that is precompressed inside a diamond-anvil cell. This combination of static and dynamic compression methods has been experimentally demonstrated and ultimately provides access to the 10- to 100-TPa (0.1-1 Gbar) pressure range that is relevant to planetary science, testing first-principles theories of condensed matter, and experimentally studying a new regime of chemical bonding.