A new high P-T cell for neutron diffraction up to 7 GPa and 2000 K with measurement of temperature by neutron radiography

Abstract

This paper reports developments to enable neutron diffraction at simultaneous high temperatures and pressures using the Paris-Edinburgh cell. These include a new design of a cell assembly with internal heating. One of the novel features of our system is the use of neutron radiographic methods for measurement of temperature. Fully refinable neutron diffraction patterns obtained by time of flight technique with our apparatus are found to be of comparable quality to previous high-pressure studies at ambient temperatures. In this paper we describe the procedures for the generation and measurement of pressure and temperature and illustrate the quality of the data which can be obtained. The present system may be used on a routine basis for experiments up to 7 GPa and temperature approaching 2000 K. Current attempts are discussed for extending these measurements to a wider domain of pressures and temperatures.

Key Words:

• Neutron diffraction
• high temperature
• high pressure
• neutron radiography