Synchrotron and FEL studies of matter at high pressures

Abstract

Samples compressed to very high pressures are typically very small or exist for only a very short period of time. Researchers seeking to make x-ray studies of matter under such conditions have therefore always sought access to the brightest possible x-ray sources - synchrotrons - and, more recently, x-ray FELs. In this chapter, after a brief introduction and a short history of high-pressure science, I describe the techniques used to compress matter to pressures well above 1 million atmospheres (1 megabar or 100 GPa) both statically and dynamically and then review how experiments are conducted on such samples at both synchrotrons and XFELs. I conclude with a discussion about the opportunities afforded by the start-up of diffraction-limited synchrotrons and the new European XFEL.