Exploring the physical and chemical response of materials under extreme conditions holds significant importance across diverse multidisciplinary and fundamental research fields. Diamond Anvil Cells (DACs) are widely recognized for their ability to induce extreme pressures to trigger the emergence of novel phases and structures characterized by unique properties. Swift heavy ions deposit extremely localized energy-densities in sub-fs time scales, which cannot be reached by other approaches, producing unique defect configurations and chemical changes in materials, yielding structural modifications, including point and clustered defects, amorphization, and crystalline-to-crystalline phase transformations. The combination of pressure and ion irradiation can lead to the synthesis of new phases far from the thermodynamic equilibrium, and to the possibility to recover a high-pressure phase upon pressure release.
In this talk, I will introduce an innovative experimental user platform available at the accelerator facility of the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research. We utilize relativistic ion beams provided by the heavy ion synchrotron SIS18 to penetrate into DACs and deposit enormous energy densities into the pressurized targets. The setup uses with motorized high-precision stages for alignment of the µm-size targets with the ion beam and online Raman spectroscopy, allowing monitoring of beam-induced structural changes during irradiation.
Alongside the technical description of our experimental setup, recent scientific cases that unveil novel insights will be presented, such as the Bi-I to Bi-II phase transition in Bismuth and structural transformations in olivine (Mg,Fe)₂SiO₄), both demonstrated under the simultaneous application of ion-irradiation and pressure.
 

heavy ion research,high pressure,heavy ion accelerator,DAC