Phonon densities of states (DOS) of bcc alpha-(57) Fe were measured from room temperature through the 1044K Curie transition and the 1185 K fcc gamma-Fe phase transition using nuclear resonant inelastic x-ray scattering. At higher temperatures all phonons shift to lower energies (soften) with thermal expansion, but the low transverse modes soften especially rapidly above 700 K, showing strongly nonharmonic behavior that persists through the magnetic transition. Interatomic force constants for the bcc phase were obtained by iteratively fitting a Born-von Karman model to the experimental phonon spectra using a genetic algorithm optimization. The second-nearest-neighbor fitted axial force constants weakened significantly at elevated temperatures. An unusually large nonharmonic behavior is reported, which increases the vibrational entropy and accounts for a contribution of 35 meV/atom in the free energy at high temperatures. The nonharmonic contribution to the vibrational entropy follows the thermal trend of the magnetic entropy, and may be coupled to magnetic excitations. A small change in vibrational entropy across the alpha-gamma structural phase transformation is also reported.

The interplay between sodium ordering and electron mobility in NaxFePO4 was investigated using a combination of synchrotron X-ray diffraction and Mossbauer spectrometry. Synchrotron X-ray diffraction measurements were carried out for a range of temperatures between 298 and 553 K. Rietveld analysis of the diffraction patterns was used to determine the temperature of sodium redistribution on the lattice. This diffraction analysis also gives new information about the phase stability of the system. Mossbauer spectra were collected in the same temperature range. An analysis of the temperature evolution of the spectral shapes was used to identify the onset of fast electron hopping and determine the polaron hopping rate. The temperature evolution of the iron site occupancies from the Mossbauer measurements, combined with the synchrotron diffraction results; shows a relationship between the onset of fast electron dynamics and the loss of local order on the sodium sublattice.

Ab initio molecular dynamics, supported by inelastic neutron scattering and nuclear resonant inelastic x-ray scattering, showed an anomalous thermal softening of the M-5(-) phonon mode in B2-ordered FeTi that could not be explained by phonon-phonon interactions or electron-phonon interactions calculated at low temperatures. A computational investigation showed that the Fermi surface undergoes a novel thermally driven electronic topological transition, in which new features of the Fermi surface arise at elevated temperatures. The thermally induced electronic topological transition causes an increased electronic screening for the atom displacements in the M-5(-) phonon mode and an adiabatic electron-phonon interaction with an unusual temperature dependence.

Phonon partial densities of states (pDOS) of Fe-57(3) C were measured from cryogenic temperatures through the Curie transition at 460 K using nuclear resonant inelastic x-ray scattering. The cementite pDOS reveal that low-energy acoustic phonons shift to higher energies (stiffen) with temperature before the magnetic transition. This unexpected stiffening suggests strongly nonharmonic vibrational behavior that impacts the thermodynamics and elastic properties of cementite. Density functional theory calculations reproduced the anomalous stiffening observed experimentally in cementite by accounting for phonon-phonon interactions at finite temperatures. The calculations show that the low-energy acoustic phonon branches with polarizations along the [010] direction are largely responsible for the anomalous thermal stiffening. The effect was further localized to the motions of the Fe-II site within the orthorhombic structure, which participates disproportionately in the anomalous phonon stiffening.

Plants can acclimate by using tropisms to link the direction of growth to environmental conditions. Hydrotropism allows roots to forage for water, a process known to depend on abscisic acid (ABA) but whose molecular and cellular basis remains unclear. Here we show that hydrotropism still occurs in roots after laser ablation removed the meristem and root cap. Additionally, targeted expression studies reveal that hydrotropism depends on the ABA signalling kinase SnRK2.2 and the hydrotropism-specific MIZ1, both acting specifically in elongation zone cortical cells. Conversely, hydrotropism, but not gravitropism, is inhibited by preventing differential cell-length increases in the cortex, but not in other cell types. We conclude that root tropic responses to gravity and water are driven by distinct tissue-based mechanisms. In addition, unlike its role in root gravitropism, the elongation zone performs a dual function during a hydrotropic response, both sensing a water potential gradient and subsequently undergoing differential growth.

The behavior of silicon carbide (SiC) under shock compression is of interest due to its applications as a high-strength ceramic and for general understanding of shock-induced polymorphism. Here we use the Matter in Extreme Conditions beamline of the Linac Coherent Light Source to carry out a series of time-resolved pump-probe x-ray diffraction measurements on SiC laser-shocked to as high as 206 GPa. Experiments on single crystals and polycrystals of different polytypes show a transformation from a low-pressure tetrahedral phase to the high-pressure rocksalt-type (B1) structure. We directly observe coexistence of the low- and high-pressure phases in a mixed-phase region and complete transformation to the B1 phase above 200 GPa. The densities measured by x-ray diffraction are in agreement with both continuum gas-gun studies and a theoretical B1 Hugoniot derived from static-compression data. Time-resolved measurements during shock loading and release reveal a large hysteresis upon unloading, with the B1 phase retained to as low as 5 GPa. The sample eventually reverts to a mixture of polytypes of the low-pressure phase at late times. Our study demonstrates that x-ray diffraction is an effective means to characterize the time-dependent structural response of materials undergoing shock-induced phase transformations at megabar pressures.

We combined laser shock compression with in situ x-ray diffraction to probe the crystallographic state of gold (Au) on its principal shock Hugoniot. Au has long been recognized as an important calibration standard in diamond anvil cell experiments due to the stability of its face-centered cubic (fcc) structure to extremely high pressures (P > 600 GPa at 300 K). This is in contrast to density functional theory and first principles calculations of the high-pressure phases of Au that predict a variety of fcc-like structures with different stacking arrangements at intermediate pressures. In this Letter, we probe high-pressure and high-temperature conditions on the shock Hugoniot and observe fcc Au at 169 GPa and the first evidence of body-centered cubic (bcc) Au at 223 GPa. Upon further compression, the bcc phase is observed in coexistence with liquid scattering as the Hugoniot crosses the Au melt curve before 322 GPa. The results suggest a triple point on the Au phase diagram that lies very close to the principal shock Hugoniot near similar to 220 GPa.

SiO2 is one of the most fundamental constituents in planetary bodies, being an essential building block of major mineral phases in the crust and mantle of terrestrial planets (1-10M(E)). Silica at depths greater than 300km may be present in the form of the rutile-type, high pressure polymorph stishovite (P4(2)/mnm) and its thermodynamic stability is of great interest for understanding the seismic and dynamic structure of planetary interiors. Previous studies on stishovite via static and dynamic (shock) compression techniques are contradictory and the observed differences in the lattice-level response is still not clearly understood. Here, laser-induced shock compression experiments at the LCLS- and SACLA XFEL light-sources elucidate the high-pressure behavior of stishovite on the lattice-level under in situ conditions on the Hugoniot to pressures above 300GPa. We find stishovite is still (meta-)stable at these conditions, and does not undergo any phase transitions. This contradicts static experiments showing structural transformations to the CaCl2, alpha -PbO2 and pyrite-type structures. However, rate-limited kinetic hindrance may explain our observations. These results are important to our understanding into the validity of EOS data from nanosecond experiments for geophysical applications.

The recovery of metastable structures formed at high pressure has been a long-standing goal in the field of condensed matter physics. While laser-driven compression has been used as a method to generate novel structures at high pressure, to date no high-pressure phases have been quenched to ambient conditions. Here we demonstrate, using in situ x-ray diffraction and recovery methods, the successful quench of a high-pressure phase which was formed under laser-driven shock compression. We show that tailoring the pressure release path from a shock-compressed state to eliminate sample spall, and therefore excess heating, increases the recovery yield of the high-pressure. phase of zirconium from 0% to 48%. Our results have important implications for the quenchability of novel phases of matter demonstrated to occur at extreme pressures using nanosecond laser-driven compression.

Because of its far-reaching applications in geophysics and materials science, quartz has been one of the most extensively examined materials under dynamic compression. Despite 50 years of active research, questions remain concerning the structure and transformation of SiO2 under shock compression. Continuum gas-gun studies have established that under shock loading quartz transforms through an assumed mixed-phase region to a dense high-pressure phase. While it has often been assumed that this high-pressure phase corresponds to the stishovite structure observed in static experiments, there have been no crystal structure data confirming this. In this study, we use gas-gun shock compression coupled with in situ synchrotron x-ray diffraction to interrogate the crystal structure of shock-compressed alpha-quartz up to 65 GPa. Our results reveal that alpha-quartz undergoes a phase transformation to a disordered metastable phase as opposed to crystalline stishovite or an amorphous structure, challenging long-standing assumptions about the dynamic response of this fundamental material.