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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 20, 2025

$Synthesis and Microdiffraction at Extreme Pressures and Temperatures$

Synthesis and Microdiffraction at Extreme Pressures and Temperatures

Published on: October 7, 2013

Using Diffuse Scattering to Observe X-Ray-Driven Nonthermal Melting.

N J Hartley^1,2, J Grenzer², L Huang²

¹SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA.

Physical Review Letters

|January 22, 2021

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

High-intensity X-rays rapidly transform silicon into a disordered, liquid-like state within 100 femtoseconds. This unique phase change, driven by Coulomb forces, differs significantly from traditional liquid silicon.

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Methods of Ex Situ and In Situ Investigations of Structural Transformations: The Case of Crystallization of Metallic Glasses

Methods of Ex Situ and In Situ Investigations of Structural Transformations: The Case of Crystallization of Metallic Glasses

Published on: June 7, 2018

Area of Science:

Materials Science
Condensed Matter Physics
X-ray Science

Background:

Understanding material phase transitions under extreme conditions is crucial.
Previous studies lacked the temporal resolution to observe rapid structural changes.
Investigating electron heating effects on ionic structure requires advanced techniques.

Purpose of the Study:

To observe and characterize the ionic structural changes in silicon induced by intense X-ray heating.
To determine the timescale and nature of the phase transition.
To probe the disordered, liquid-like state of silicon formed by X-ray irradiation.

Main Methods:

Utilized the SPring-8 Angstrom Compact free electron Laser (SCeLA) facility.
Employed a high-intensity (∼10^20 W/cm^2) X-ray pump X-ray probe scheme.
Analyzed diffuse scattering signals, avoiding Laue spots, from a single crystalline silicon sample.

Main Results:

Observed a rapid increase in diffuse scattering within 100 femtoseconds (fs) of irradiation.
Identified a transition to a disordered, liquid-like state with a structure distinct from conventional liquid silicon.
The observed disordering timescale aligns with first-principles simulations and is faster than inertial predictions.

Conclusions:

The rapid phase transition and disordered state are primarily governed by Coulomb forces.
The X-ray pump X-ray probe method effectively probes the liquid structure without interference from the ambient solid.
This technique allows for detailed measurement of liquid structure during and after phase transitions.