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

Area of Science:

• Condensed matter physics
• Planetary science
• High-pressure physics

Background:

• Experimental characterization of materials at extreme pressures is crucial for understanding planetary interiors and fundamental physics.
• Current methods face limitations in reaching the highest pressure regimes relevant to deep planetary interiors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a combined static and dynamic compression technique for reaching terapascal pressures.
• To enable experimental studies in the 10-100 TPa pressure range.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing a diamond-anvil cell for precompression.
• Employing laser-induced shock waves for dynamic compression.
• Combining static and dynamic compression methods.

Main Results:

• Experimental demonstration of the combined compression technique.
• Access to the 10- to 100-TPa (0.1-1 Gbar) pressure range.
• Successful characterization of materials under extreme conditions.

Conclusions:

• The developed method provides unprecedented access to terapascal pressures for materials science.
• This technique is vital for testing first-principles theories and exploring new chemical bonding regimes.
• Opens new avenues for research in planetary science and high-pressure physics.