Materials at Atomic Pressure

Abstract

Atomic units give the scale at which quantum processes operate. As combinations of fundamental constants they concisely encapsulate qualities of the atom, e.g. atomic length and energy scales are given by the Bohr radius and the Hartree (or Rydberg) respectively. Although many of these quantities were probed in the early part of the 20th Century the atomic unit of time, at tens of attoseconds, was first probed in 2001. Today, the only atomic unit that remains to be studied experimentally is the atomic unit of pressure, at 294 Mbar (or 147 Mbar in Rydberg atomic units). This is nature’s definition of the ‘high’ in high-pressure science, and it sets the scale for new physics and chemistry. Among experimental facilities, only the NIF can attain and accurately probe atomic pressures. We propose to directly study material properties at these conditions by examining the short-range ordering of atoms using x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (XAFS) of layers in spherical, ignition-type imploding shells. What happens at atomic pressures? The atomic unit of pressure represents the quantum mechanical pressure exerted by an orbiting electron to prevent collapse into the nucleus. Applying external pressure of this magnitude seriously disrupts orbitals and alters the character of the atom itself. Core electron orbitals overlap and chemical bonds are no longer constrained to occur between valence electron orbitals alone. The most direct probe of bonding requires a short-range order diagnostic such as XAFS.