U.S.-Australia Cooperative Research: Elasticity of High- Pressure Phases of Mantle Minerals

该奖项将支持纽约州立大学石溪分校的罗伯特·C·利伯曼博士和澳大利亚国立大学的伊恩·杰克逊博士之间的合作研究。本研究旨在研究地幔矿物高压相的弹性性质。具体地说，该项目将在石溪大学的大体积分裂球体仪器中合成高压相橄榄石(一种镁和铁的硅酸盐)的多晶样品，并在澳大利亚国立大学的超声波实验室确定这些样品的弹性波速度的压力依赖关系。该项目代表了拥有独特超声波实验室的澳大利亚集团与同样独特的石溪利伯曼高压仪器之间的出色合作。这是更好地了解地幔矿物高压相弹性性质的重要基础性工作。此外，这些新数据将被用来构建改进的地幔速度深度剖面模型，以便与地震学测量结果进行比较。

This award will support collaborative research between Dr. Robert C. Liebermann of the State University of New York at Stony Brook and Dr. Ian Jackson of the Australian National University. This research is to investigate the elastic properties of the high-pressure phases of mantle minerals. Specifically, the project will synthesize polycrystalline specimens of the high-pressure phases of olivine (a silicate of magnesium and iron) in the large-volume, split-sphere apparatus at Stony Brook and determine the pressure dependence of the elastic wave velocities of these specimens in the ultrasonics laboratory at the Australian National University. The project represents excellent collaboration between the Australian group with its unique ultrasonics laboratory and the equally unique Liebermann high-pressure apparatus at Stony Brook. This is important fundamental work to achieve better understanding of the elastic properties of the high- pressure phases of mantle minerals. In addition, the new data will be utilized to construct improved models of velocity depth profiles in the Earth's mantle for comparison with seismological measurements.