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In situ X-Ray Diffraction of Shock-Compressed Fused Silica

Sally June Tracy, Stefan J. Turneaure, and Thomas S. Duffy
Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 135702 – Published 29 March 2018
Physics logo See Synopsis: Silica’s High-Pressure Phase
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Abstract

Because of its widespread applications in materials science and geophysics, SiO2 has been extensively examined under shock compression. Both quartz and fused silica transform through a so-called “mixed-phase region” to a dense, low compressibility high-pressure phase. For decades, the nature of this phase has been a subject of debate. Proposed structures include crystalline stishovite, another high-pressure crystalline phase, or a dense amorphous phase. Here we use plate-impact experiments and pulsed synchrotron x-ray diffraction to examine the structure of fused silica shock compressed to 63 GPa. In contrast to recent laser-driven compression experiments, we find that fused silica adopts a dense amorphous structure at 34 GPa and below. When compressed above 34 GPa, fused silica transforms to untextured polycrystalline stishovite. Our results can explain previously ambiguous features of the shock-compression behavior of fused silica and are consistent with recent molecular dynamics simulations. Stishovite grain sizes are estimated to be 530nm for compression over a few hundred nanosecond time scale.

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  • Received 9 January 2018

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.135702

© 2018 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Condensed Matter, Materials & Applied Physics

Synopsis

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Silica’s High-Pressure Phase

Published 29 March 2018

The rapid compression of silica to pressures of 36 GPa and higher transforms it from an amorphous material to a tetragonal crystal.

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Authors & Affiliations

Sally June Tracy1,*, Stefan J. Turneaure2, and Thomas S. Duffy1

  • 1Department of Geosciences, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA
  • 2Institute for Shock Physics, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164-2816, USA

  • *sjtracy@princeton.edu

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Issue

Vol. 120, Iss. 13 — 30 March 2018

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