Collaborative Research: Properties of Melts and Supercooled Liquids at High Pressure by In Situ X-ray Computed Tomography and Absorption

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The volumetric properties of non-crystalline materials relevant to Earth¹s interior are being studied using X-ray computed tomography and absorption at high pressures and temperatures. The results are applicable to differentiation of the magma ocean, core formation, and segregation and convection dynamics related to the thermal and chemical evolution of the Earth. The research utilizes the new rotating anvil apparatus and synchrotron X-ray radiation to determine density by volume reconstruction and from Beer-Lambert law using X-ray absorption data. The investigators focus their efforts on several simple and natural silicate melt compositions spanning a range of polymerization states, and on Fe-S-Ni-Si melts. Data acquired in this study improves constraints on the compressibility and thermal expansion required for an accurate equation of state for naturally occurring melt compositions. The project also includes technical improvements of tomography hardware on the 13-BM-D beamline operated by GSECARS - Advance Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, as well as, the development of new strategies for image acquisition at high P-T conditions and data processing with broader applications for non-destructive materials characterization.