Neutron diffraction experiments in diamond and sapphire anvil cells

Abstract

Diamond anvil cells (DAC) provide the highest static pressures ≥1 Mbar. Because of the low intensity of neutron sources, for a long time it was thought impossible to use DAC or other anvil cells in neutron experiments. We describe pressure cells with diamond and sapphire anvils and neutron instrumentation allowing neutron diffraction experiments to be carried out under pressures as high as 50 GPa, temperatures down to 0.1 K, and applied magnetic fields up to 7.5 T.

Keywords:

• Neutron diffraction
• Pressure cells
• Low temperature
• Magnetic structures

Acknowledgements

The author acknowledges the role of V. A. Somenkov, V. P. Glazkov, S. M. Stichov, I. N. Makarenko, and S. P. Besedin in pioneering neutron experiments with DAC carried out in the RRC Kurchatov Institute, role of A. Yu. Rumyantsev and J. Rossat-Mignod in development of the collaboration between the RRC Kurchatov Institute and the LLB, contribution of I. V. Naumov and P. Molina for developments of high pressure cells and neutron instrumentations, respectively, and contribution of I. Mirebeau and J.-M. Mignot to most of the studies cited above.