Author index > Duffy Thomas

Dynamic compression studies have applications to problems in Earth and planetary science ranging from understanding the effects of impacts and explosions to the synthesis of new high-pressure phases of the deep Earth. In this talk I will describe two major new advances in this area. Laser-based dynamic compression provides opportunities to study the structures and properties of geological materials to ultrahigh pressure conditions reaching 1 terapascal and beyond. By controlling the shape and duration of the incident laser pulse, either shock or ramp (shockless) loading can be produced. By combining these techniques with pulsed x-ray diffraction, we have explored a variety of materials including iron silicide, magnesium oxide, and carbon to ultrahigh pressures relevant to exoplanet interior conditions. A second major new development is the Dynamic Compression Sector at the Advanced Photon Source which provides the capability to couple gas-gun shock-wave experiments with brilliant synchrotron X-rays. Here I will show results on the lattice-level structural response of quartz and fused silica under shock loading that provide a new understanding of the behavior of silicate minerals under dynamic compression.