Matter at Extreme States

Carnegie scientists are innovators when it comes to using high-pressure, high-temperature laboratory techniques to synthesize novel materials and to mimic the conditions found in the depths of our own and other planets.

A material's properties are altered when its surrounding conditions shift. For generations, Carnegie geophysicists and materials scientists have been pushing boudaries—subjecting samples extreme pressures and temperatures to induce structural changes.

Using high-pressure devices, large-volume presses, and novel shock compression techniques, Carnegie researchers mimic planetary interiors in the lab. This can help them understand the potential habitability of distant worlds, particularly the Super-Earths that are so common in other planetary systems.

In conjunction with high-powered computational programs, these same high-pressure tools enable Carnegie scientists to predict and synthesize novel materials with many potential practical applications in the energy, aerospace, and computing sectors.