Advanced Spectroscopic Techniques for Separating Natural and Synthetic Diamond Gemstones

确切了解钻石宝石的原产地或出处对于确定其价值至关重要。这个问题比钻石是合成的还是天然的更深入。关于宝石来源的信息在向消费者保证他们的钻石是合乎道德的来源以及在整个生产过程中保持最佳实践方面越来越重要。现在，合成宝石级钻石材料可以通过高压高温（HPHT）或化学气相沉积（CVD）生长方法生产。然而，由于天然未处理钻石的价值高于处理钻石或合成钻石，因此客户需要确信，可以以高度的信心检测未公开的合成钻石。光谱学是宝石学家军械库中最强大的分析武器之一，因为它可以以可量化和可重复的方式记录宝石的光学特性。该技术本身也是非破坏性的。某些光学特征会引起怀疑，因为它表明存在额外的元素，或点缺陷和扩展缺陷，而这些缺陷在天然钻石中并不常见。同样，某些光学特征可以揭示晶体形成时生长条件的线索，天然和合成钻石的条件将显着不同。随着人造金刚石宝石质量的不断提高，开发更先进的光谱询问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（卡迪夫）、Stephen Lynch博士（卡迪夫）和Colin McGuinness博士（De Beers）监督。卡迪夫大学和戴比尔斯此前曾密切合作，以了解在合成宝石中发现的不寻常的光谱特征。这个项目将建立在这项工作的遗产。我们正在寻找一名学生继续开发光谱成像实验，以探索钻石在脉冲紫外线照射下在一定时间范围和温度下的发光行为。预计学生每年将在位于马塞洛海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，这个博士项目提供了一个令人兴奋的机会来进行尖端的物理研究，也是工业相关的。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.