Investigation of undercooled liquid metals using XAFS, temperature scans and diffraction

Area of Science:

• Condensed Matter Physics
• Materials Science
• Synchrotron Radiation Science

Background:

• The European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) BM29 beamline has advanced experimental capabilities.
• Extreme conditions research requires sophisticated techniques for data acquisition and analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe novel techniques and experimental setups for condensed matter studies under extreme conditions.
• To highlight advancements enabling challenging experiments on undercooled liquids.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy for high-quality spectra.
• Implementing controlled temperature scans for direct phase transition detection.
• Employing high-resolution energy-scanning X-ray diffraction (ESXD) with enhanced detector systems.
• Applying a rigorous X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) data analysis for disordered matter.

Main Results:

• Successful development of an experimental station for extreme conditions.
• Demonstration of feasibility for challenging experiments on undercooled liquid matter.
• Presentation of an application example using undercooled liquid indium (In).

Conclusions:

• The developed techniques and analysis schemes significantly advance the study of condensed matter under extreme conditions.
• These advancements open new avenues for investigating undercooled liquids.
• The BM29 beamline at ESRF is a key facility for cutting-edge materials research.