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Updated: Aug 15, 2026

Synthesis and Microdiffraction at Extreme Pressures and Temperatures
Published on: October 7, 2013
Direct observation of the alpha-epsilon transition in shock-compressed iron via nanosecond x-ray diffraction
D H Kalantar1, J F Belak, G W Collins
1Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, California 94550, USA.
Abstract:
In situ x-ray diffraction studies of iron under shock conditions confirm unambiguously a phase change from the bcc (alpha) to hcp (epsilon) structure. Previous identification of this transition in shock-loaded iron has been inferred from the correlation between shock-wave-profile analyses and static high-pressure x-ray measurements. This correlation is intrinsically limited because dynamic loading can markedly affect the structural modifications of solids. The in situ measurements are consistent with a uniaxial collapse along the [001] direction and shuffling of alternate (110) planes of atoms, and are in good agreement with large-scale nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations.
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