Highly intense monochromatic X-ray diffraction facility for high-pressure research at SPring-8

Abstract

Beamline BL10XU at SPring-8, designed for X-ray diffraction experiments using diamond anvil cells at high pressure and low/high temperature, is continuously upgraded. The X-ray source, optics, and attractive experimental equipment such as simultaneous measurement systems have been optimized over the past years. The high energy and high intensity monochromatic X-ray beams emitted by an undulator source, focused using a characteristic X-ray refractive lens, have enabled us to obtain excellent counting statistics and high-resolution X-ray diffraction data even from a highly compressed sample under multi-megabar pressure. At BL10XU, low- and high-temperature conditions are achieved using a cryostat (10–300 K) and double-sided laser-heating system (1000–4000 K), respectively. Numerous results have been obtained in the fields of high-pressure materials science and mineral physics: for instance, the structural information on novel materials under pressure, including new pressure-induced structural phase transitions, the measurements of equations of states, and the phase-equilibrium data of Earth interior minerals.

Keywords:

• synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction
• diamond anvil cell
• SPring-8
• beamline
• double-sided laser-heating

Acknowledgements

We are very grateful to the constant support from the SPring-8 and to the invaluable help from the many staff members at the SPring-8 who have contributed to the upgrade of the beamline BL10XU. We would also like to thank the numerous beamline users whose suggestions and financial support have contributed greatly to the success of the upgrade. We appreciate the contributions of Drs T. Yamazaki, M. Yabashi, T. Tanaka, A.Q. Baron, S. Goto, and Prof. T. Ishikawa for developing and upgrading the undulator source, monochromator, and optics of beamline BL10XU. We thank Drs Y. Asahara, T. Murakami, T. Watanuki, Y. Katayama, K. Aoki, Prof. N. Hamaya, and Prof. O. Shimomura for their significant contributions to the development of high-pressure facilities at SPring-8.