Raman spectroscopy and powder x-ray diffraction methods have been used to characterize a novel phase of nitrogen which forms on compression from ambient pressure at low temperatures. The new,lambda, phase exhibits an exceptionally wide range of pressure stability from below 1 to 140 GPa, overlapping nine other known phases. On heating, its transformations are different to those observed in other phases, implying that the phase nitrogen adopts depends not only on P-T path, but also on the initial structural configuration, which greatly complicates its phase diagram.

Manganese fluoride (MnF2) with the tetragonal rutile-type structure has been studied using a synchrotron angle-dispersive powder x-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy in a diamond anvil cell up to 60 GPa at room temperature combined with first-principles density functional calculations. The experimental data reveal two pressure-induced structural phase transitions with the following sequence: rutile. SrI2 type (3 GPa). alpha-PbCl2 type (13 GPa). Complete structural information, including interatomic distances, has been determined in the case of MnF2 including the exact structure of the debated first high-pressure phase. First-principles density functional calculations confirm this phase transition sequence, and the two calculated transition pressures are in excellent agreement with the experiment. Lattice dynamics calculations also reproduce the experimental Raman spectra measured for the ambient and high-pressure phases. The results are discussed in line with the possible practical use of rutile-type fluorides in general and specifically MnF2 as a model compound to reveal the HP structural behavior of rutile-type SiO2 (Stishovite).

Characterizing the local space density of double degenerate (DD) binary systems is a complementary approach to broad sky surveys of DDs to determine the expected rates of WD binary mergers, in particular those that may evolve into other observable phenomena such as extreme helium stars, Am CVn systems, and SNe Ia. However, there have been few such systems detected in local space. We report here the discovery that WD1242-105, a nearby bright WD, is a double-line spectroscopic binary consisting of two degenerate DA WDs of similar mass and temperature, despite it previously having been spectroscopically characterized as a single degenerate. Follow-up photometry, spectroscopy, and trigonometric parallax have been obtained in an effort to determine the fundamental parameters of each component of this system. The binary has a mass ratio of 0.7 and a trigonometric parallax of 25.5 mas, placing it at a distance of 39 pc. The system's total mass is 0.95 M-circle dot and has an orbital period of 2.85 hr, making it the strongest known gravitational wave source (log h = -20.78) in the mHz regime. Because of its orbital period and total mass, WD1242-105 is predicted to merge via gravitational radiation on a timescale of 740 Myr, which will most likely not result in a catastrophic explosion.

Measurements of the resistivity, Hall coefficient, and Raman spectroscopy are performed on a Rashba semiconductor BiTeCl single crystal at high pressures up to 50 GPa. We find that applying pressure first induces a theoretically predicted insulating state, followed by a superconducting phase with an insulating normal state. Upon heavy compression, another different superconducting phase is entered into with a metallic normal state. A domelike evolution of the superconducting transition temperature with pressure is obtained with a crossover from the electron to hole carriers across the boundary of the two superconducting phases. These findings imply the possible realization of a topological state of the insulating and superconducting phases in this material.

We present optical and near-infrared adaptive optics (AO) imaging and spectroscopy of 13 ultracool (>M6) companions to late-type stars (K7-M4.5), most of which have recently been identified as candidate members of nearby young moving groups (YMGs; 8-120 Myr) in the literature. Three of these are new companions identified in our AO imaging survey, and two others are confirmed to be comoving with their host stars for the first time. The inferred masses of the companions (similar to 10-100 M-Jup) are highly sensitive to the ages of the primary stars; therefore we critically examine the kinematic and spectroscopic properties of each system to distinguish bona fide YMG members from old field interlopers. The new M7 substellar companion 2MASS J02155892-0929121 C (40-60 M-Jup) shows. clear spectroscopic signs of low gravity and, hence, youth. The primary, possibly a member of the similar to 40 Myr Tuc-Hor moving group, is visually resolved into three components, making it a young low-mass quadruple system in a compact (less than or similar to 100 AU) configuration. In addition, LiI lambda 6708 absorption in the intermediate-gravity M7.5 companion 2MASS J15594729+4403595 B provides unambiguous evidence that it is young (less than or similar to 200 Myr) and resides below the hydrogen-burning limit. Three new close-separation (<1 '') companions (2MASS J06475229-2523304 B, PYC J11519+0731 B, and GJ 4378 Ab) orbit stars previously reported as candidate YMG members, but instead are likely old (greater than or similar to 1Gyr) tidally locked spectroscopic binaries without convincing kinematic associations with any known moving group. The high rate of false positives in the form of old active stars with YMG-like kinematics underscores the importance of radial velocity and parallax measurements to validate candidate young stars identified via proper motion and activity selection alone. Finally, we spectroscopically confirm the cool temperature and substellar nature of HD 23514 B, a recently discovered M8 benchmark brown dwarf orbiting the dustiest-known member of the Pleiades.

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) was studied by x-ray synchrotron diffraction and Raman spectroscopy up to 150 GPa at 180-295 K and by quantum-mechanical variable-composition evolutionary simulations. The experiments show that H2S becomes unstable with respect to formation of compounds with different structure and composition, including Cccm and a body-centered cubic like (R3m or Im-3m) H3S, the latter one predicted previously to show a record-high superconducting transition temperature, a T-c of 203 K. These experiments provide experimental ground for understanding of this record-high T-c. The experimental results are supported by theoretical structure searches that suggest the stability of H3S, H4S3, H5S8, H3S5, and HS2 compounds that have not been reported previously at elevated pressures.

We have performed measurements of Raman scattering, synchrotron x-ray diffraction, and visible transmission spectroscopy combined with density functional theory calculations to study the pressure effect on solid triphenylene. The spectroscopic results demonstrate substantial change of the molecular configuration at 1.4 GPa from the abrupt change of splitting, disappearance, and appearance of some modes. The structure of triphenylene is found be to stable at high pressures without any evidence of structural transition from the x-ray diffraction patterns. The obtained lattice parameters show a good agreement between experiments and calculations. The obtained band gap systematically decreases with increasing pressure. With the application of pressure, the molecular planes become more and more parallel relative to each other. The theoretical calculations indicate that this organic compound becomes metallic at 180 GPa, fueling the hope for the possible realization of superconductivity at high pressure.

Binaries are typically excluded from direct imaging exoplanet surveys. However, the recent findings of Kepler and radial velocity programs show that planets can and do form in binary systems. Here, we suggest that visual binaries offer unique advantages for direct imaging. We show that Binary Differential Imaging (BDI), whereby two stars are imaged simultaneously at the same wavelength within the isoplanatic patch at a high Strehl ratio, offers improved point spread function (PSF) subtraction that can result in increased sensitivity to planets close to each star. We demonstrate this by observing a young visual binary separated by 4 '' with MagAO/Clio-2 at 3.9 mu m, where the Strehl ratio is high, the isoplanatic patch is large, and giant planets are bright. Comparing BDI to angular differential imaging (ADI), we find that BDI's 5 sigma contrast is similar to 0.5 mag better than ADI's within similar to 1 '' for the particular binary we observed. Because planets typically reside close to their host stars, BDI is a promising technique for discovering exoplanets in stellar systems that are often ignored. BDI is also 2-4x more efficient than ADI and classical reference PSF subtraction, since planets can be detected around both the target and PSF reference simultaneously. We are currently exploiting this technique in a new MagAO survey for giant planets in 140 young nearby visual binaries. BDI on a space-based telescope would not be limited by isoplanatism effects and would therefore be an even more powerful tool for imaging and discovering planets.

K-Cl is a simple system displaying all four main types of bonding, as it contains (i) metallic potassium, (ii) elemental chlorine made of covalently bonded Cl-2 molecules held together by van der Waals forces, and (iii) an archetypal ionic compound KCl. The charge balance rule, assigning classical charges of "+1" to K and "-1" to Cl, predicts that no compounds other than KCl are possible. However, our quantum-mechanical variable-composition evolutionary simulations predict an extremely complex phase diagram, with new thermodynamically stable compounds K3Cl, K2Cl, K3Cl2, K4Cl3, K5Cl4, K3Cl5, KCl3 and KCl7. Of particular interest are 2D-metallic homologs Kn+1Cln, the presence of positively charged Cl atoms in KCl7, and the predicted stability of KCl3 already at nearly ambient pressures at zero Kelvin. We have synthesized cubic Pm (3) over barn -KCl3 at 40-70 GPa and trigonal P (3) over bar c1 -KCl3 at 20-40 GPa in a laser-heated diamond anvil cell (DAC) at temperature exceeding 2000 K from KCl and Cl-2. These phases were identified using in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. Upon unloading to 10 GPa, P (3) over bar c1 -KCl3 transforms to a yet unknown structure before final decomposition to KCl and Cl-2 at near-ambient conditions.

We have discovered that 2MASS 08355977-3042306 is an accreting K7, double-lined, spectroscopic binary younger than similar to 20 Myr. The age of a dispersed young star can best be determined if it is a member of a known young moving group. However, the three dimensional space velocities (UVW) we calculate using radial velocity measurements, proper motions, and plausible photometric distances make membership in any known young moving group unlikely.