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Updated: May 18, 2026

Hyperspectral Imaging as a Tool to Study Optical Anisotropy in Lanthanide-Based Molecular Single Crystals
Published on: April 14, 2020
Europium-IV: an incommensurately modulated crystal structure in the lanthanides
R J Husband1, I Loa, G W Stinton
1SUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy and Centre for Science at Extreme Conditions, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
High-resolution x-ray powder-diffraction experiments were performed on europium metal at high pressure up to 50 GPa. At variance with previous reports, the hcp phase of Eu was observed to be stable not only to 18 GPa, but to 31.5 GPa. At 31.5(5) GPa, europium transforms to a phase (Eu-IV) with an incommensurately modulated monoclinic crystal structure with superspace group C2/c(q(1)0q(3))00. This new phase was observed to be stable to ~37.0 GPa, where another phase transition was observed. Eu-IV is the first phase in the lanthanide elements with an incommensurate crystal structure.
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