Development of high pressure gas cells at ISIS

Abstract

High-pressure research is one of the fastest-growing areas of natural science, and one that attracts as diverse communities as those of physics, bio-physics, chemistry, materials science and earth science. In condensed matter physics there are a number of highly topical areas, such as quantum criticality, pressure-induced superconductivity or non-Fermi liquid behaviour, where pressure is a fundamental parameter. Reliable, safe and user-friendly high pressure gas handling systems with gas pressures up to 1GPa should make a significant impact on the range of science possible. The ISIS facility is participating in the NMI3 FP7 sample environment project supported by the European Commission which includes high pressure gas cell development. In this paper the progress in designing, manufacturing and testing a new generation of high pressure gas cells for neutron scattering experiments is discussed.