HiTaP Laboratory has three major facilities for material synthesis under elevated temperature and pressure:
Piston cylinder facility: We feature a 150-ton, end-loaded piston cylinder. This press is highly versatile, enabling the synthesis of large volumes of material up to 2000 °C and 3 GPa. We use this facility to study magma genesis within Earth’s upper mantle, high-pressure metamorphic reactions related to subduction zones, and core formation within planetesimals, among other topics.
Gas-mixing furnace facility: Two gas-mixing furnaces are available for controlled atmosphere synthesis. Furnaces achieve 1700 °C and are mated to mass flow controllers. Atmosphere compositions can be varied to impose redox potentials or partial pressures of gases for solubility studies.
Diamond anvil cell loading facility: Facilities are in place to prepare diamond cells for high P-T studies. This includes binocular microscopes, a ruby fluorescence system, gas-mixing furnaces for staring material synthesis, a laser cutter, diamond cells, and the accouterments needed subject samples to extremely high pressure. Research directions include core formation within larger terrestrial bodies, deep mantle melting, and phase equilibria of slabs within the lower mantle.
