Radial diffraction in the diamond anvil cell: Methods and applications

Abstract

Radial diffraction in the diamond anvil cell is a relevant technique for the study of plastic behavior of materials under high pressure. In this geometry, incident x-rays are perpendicular to the compression direction and we study the distortion of the diffraction rings, as well as variations of diffraction intensities with orientation. Plastic deformation induces local stress heterogeneities that are not properly accounted for in theories relying on elasticity only. Here, I show how those experiments coupled to numerical plasticity models can be used to extract important information, such as the identification of microscopic deformation mechanisms, a measure of the average stress supported by the sample, and a quantification of local stresses. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.