Advanced Spectroscopic Techniques for Separating Natural and Synthetic Diamond Gemstones

确切地知道钻石宝石的原产地或出处是确定其价值的关键。这个问题比钻石是人造钻石还是天然钻石更深层次。关于宝石产地的信息越来越重要，以向消费者保证他们的钻石是合乎道德的来源，并在整个生产过程中保持最佳做法。合成宝石级钻石材料现在可以通过高压高温(HPHT)或化学气相沉积(CVD)生长方法生产。然而，由于天然未经处理的钻石的价值高于经过处理的钻石或人造钻石，因此需要让客户相信，可以高度自信地检测到未披露的人造钻石。在宝石学家的武库中，最强大的分析武器之一是光学光谱学，因为它可以以可量化和可重现的方式记录宝石的光学特征。这项技术本身也是非破坏性的。某些光学特征会引起怀疑，因为它表明存在天然钻石中不常见的其他元素或点缺陷和扩展缺陷。同样，某些光学特征可以揭示晶体形成时生长条件的线索，天然钻石和人造钻石的生长条件将显著不同。随着人造钻石宝石质量的不断提高，开发更先进的光谱检测技术以保持领先地位变得越来越重要。该项目将由Georgina Klemencic博士(加的夫)、Stephen Lynch博士(加的夫)和Colin McGuinness博士(戴比尔斯)监督。卡迪夫大学和戴比尔斯此前曾密切合作，了解在人造宝石中发现的不同寻常的光谱特征。这个项目将建立在这项工作的遗产上。我们正在寻找一名学生继续开发一种光谱成像实验，能够在一系列时间尺度和温度范围内探索钻石在脉冲紫外光照射下的发光行为。预计这名学生每年将在梅登黑德的戴比尔斯研究实验室花费长达6周的时间来验证他们的工作。因此，这一博士项目提供了一个令人兴奋的机会，可以进行与工业相关的尖端物理研究。在戴比尔斯工作期间，学生将接受独特的定制培训，他们将能够体验跨国公司的研发环境。

Knowing the origin or provenance of a diamond gemstone with certainty is critical to determining its value. This question goes deeper than whether the diamond is of synthetic or natural origin. Information about a gemstone's provenance is increasingly important in reassuring the consumer that their diamond has been ethically sourced and that best practice has been maintained throughout its production.Synthetic gemstone-quality diamond material can now be produced by high pressure high temperature (HPHT) or chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth methods. However, since natural untreated diamonds are valued above treated diamonds or synthetics, customers need to be convinced that undisclosed synthetics can be detected with a high degree of confidence. One ofthe most powerful analytical weapons in the gemmologist's armoury is optical spectroscopy because it can record the optical characteristics of a gemstone in a quantifiable and reproducible way. The technique is also inherently non-destructive. Certain optical signatures will raise suspicion by indicating the presence of additional elements, or point and extended defects, not commonly found in natural diamonds. Likewise, certain optical signatures can reveal clues about the growth conditions when the crystal was forming, conditions that will be significantly different for natural and synthetic diamonds. As the quality of synthetic diamond gemstones continues to improve, it is increasingly important to develop more advanced spectroscopic interrogation techniques to keep ahead. This project will be supervised by Dr Georgina Klemencic (Cardiff), Dr Stephen Lynch (Cardiff) and Dr Colin McGuinness (De Beers). Cardiff University and De Beers have previously worked closely together to understand unusual spectral signatures that were found in synthetic gemstones. This project will build on the legacy of this work. We are seeking a student to continue to develop a spectroscopic imaging experiment able to explore the luminescence behaviour of diamond under pulsed ultraviolet illumination over a range of timescales and temperatures. It is expected that the student will spend up to 6 weeks per year at De Beers research laboratories in Maidenhead validating their work. This PhD project thus provides an exciting opportunity to perform cutting-edge physics research that is also industrially relevant. While working at De Beers, the student will receive unique bespoke training and they will be able to experience the research and development environment in a multinational company.