November 12, 2008

High-Pressure Workshop Highlights Advances in Field, Beamline Scientists' Dedication

A workshop on “Advances in High-Pressure Science Using Synchrotron X-rays” was held at the NSLS on October 4, 2008. The workshop was attended by more than 50 scientists, post-doctoral fellows, and students from the high-pressure and synchrotron x-ray research fields.

Participants in the Advances in High-Pressure Science Using Synchrotron X-rays workshop. (Courtesy of Tony Yu)

The workshop was divided into four sessions and there were 18 oral presentations. Dave Mao (Carnegie Institution of Washington), a pioneer in diamond anvil cell synchrotron x-ray diffraction studies, opened the workshop with an overview lecture titled “The legacy of X17.” Qun Shen (BNL) discussed the many opportunities for groundbreaking high-pressure science that will be afforded by the development of NSLS-II. Li Hua Yu (BNL) gave an overview of current research toward free-electron lasers. Gene Ice (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) discussed how improved source brilliance, optics, and detectors will enable important new capabilities for high-pressure x-ray and neutron studies.

Jingzhu Hu (left) and Quanzhong Guo (Courtesy of Tony Yu)

Kenneth Evans-Luterodt (BNL) described the status and planned future developments of x-ray kinoform optics for high-pressure science. Alexander Goncharov (Carnegie Institution of Washington) discussed recent developments in the laser-heated diamond anvil cell with a focus on pulsed heating techniques. Other talks covered such topics as anomalous scattering at high pressures (Wenge Yang, Carnegie Institution of Washington), combining high pressures with heavy-ion radiation (Maik Lang, Michigan), and x-ray tomography of amorphous materials under diamond anvil cell compression (Luhong Wang, Harbin Institute of Technology).

A number of talks focused on applications to geological sciences. Jie Li (Illinois) described her work on density and sound velocities of iron alloys with applications to the Earth’s core. Andy Campbell (Maryland) presented results on the high-pressure behavior of metal/oxygen buffer systems. There were also presentations on thermal equations of state of perovskites (Yingwei Fei, Carnegie Institution of Washington) and viscoelasticity of mantle minerals at high pressures and temperatures (Li Li, Stony Brook). Many other interesting and exciting talks were offered by distinguished experts in this field followed by fruitful discussions.

The workshop was organized in honor of Jingzhu Hu and Quanzhong Guo, who are retiring after up to 18 years of dedicated service to the high-pressure community as beamline scientists at NSLS beamline X17. Chi-Chang Kao (NSLS Chairman), Robert Liebermann (President of the Consortium for Materials Properties Research in Earth Science – COMPRES), and Don Weidner (Director of the Mineral Physics Institute, Stony Brook University) all made presentations to express the gratitude of the community to Drs. Hu and Guo. At the end of his talk, Gene Ice (Oak Ridge) brought out a guitar and sang a humorous song he composed for the occasion to celebrate the often unsung role of the beamline scientist. The concluding verse went as follows:

"It's publish or perish in the synchrotron game
With such good equipment, excuses are lame
The beamline scientists get everything done
And the very best ones make research fun."

The workshop was organized by Thomas Duffy (Princeton), Haozhe Liu (Harbin Institute of Technology), Lars Ehm (BNL), Dave Mao (Carnegie Institution of Washington), Zhenxian Liu (Carnegie Institution of Washington), and Jiuhua Chen (Florida International University). Financial support was provided by COMPRES, the Carnegie Department of Energy Alliance Center (CDAC), and the Harbin Institute of Technology. The workshop benefited from professional logistical support from the NSLS User Administration Office, including Gretchen Cisco, Liz Flynn, and Kathy Nasta.

For more information:
Thomas Duffy
Princeton University
Email: duffy@princeton.edu

Haozhe Liu
Harbin Institute of Technology
Email: haozhe@hit.edu.cn