High-pressure high temperature 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy in laser-heated diamond anvil cells: Applications for the mineralogy of Earths´s lower mantle and core

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Earth scientists have always been directly concerned with the identity and properties of materials that constitute the Earth. However, as we explore deeper regions of the planet with increasingly sophisticated remote-sensing technology and interpret its history in greater detail for scientific understanding of its mineral and energy resources, it becomes clearer than ever that we must exploit technological advances in high-pressure research to enable in situ studies, with the goal of a full-scale characterisation of the physical and chemical properties of Earth materials at extreme pressures and temperatures. Mössbauer spectroscopy is a powerful tool for such studies, but so far its potential for high pressure and temperature applications has not been exploited. The aim of the proposed project is to design, assemble, commission and make operational a laser heating facility optimised to operate in situ with in-house Mössbauer spectroscopy facilities, which will then be used to study the structures (crystallographic, magnetic, and electronic), phase relations, and chemical reactions of iron-containing Earth materials (ferropericlase, aluminium-bearing magnesium-silicate perovskite and post-perovskite, iron-nickel alloys) at conditions of the Earth¿s lower mantle and core.