Program > Browse abstracts by speaker > Blum Alexander

The design of the Paris-Edinburgh Press (PEP) and large-volume diamond-anvil chambers (DAC) are designed to facilitate in-situ spectroscopic and optical measurements (e.g. Raman spectroscopy, optical observation) under high pressure and high temperature conditions, reaching up to 12 GPa and 1000 K. These setups accommodate sample sizes of 1x3mm. This setup is positioned on a motorized platform with multiple degrees of freedom allowing for high-precision positioning (~10μm). The entire system is placed into the accelerator facility for heavy ions at GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research in Darmstadt (Germany), which enables unique irradiation experiments under controlled pressure and temperature conditions.

First experiments on ion-induced amorphization in ZrSiO₄ under pressure using swift heavy ions (U92+) reveal a linear destruction of the crystal lattice along the ion beam trajectory, along with a spatial variation in structural response. This significantly enhances the process of amorphization, making it possible to track structural modifications in real time using in-situ Raman spectroscopy. After irradiation, samples are further analyzed ex-situ using techniques such as Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD), Electron Probe Microanalysis (EPMA) or Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) to assess microstructural and chemical changes.

Moreover, the differences in material response between pre-irradiated (already amorphous) samples and irradiated samples across different pressure and temperature conditions are systematically investigated. These insights contribute to a deeper understanding of radiation-induced transformations in complex materials and their behavior under real conditions.