Matthew Suggit

Nanosecond white-light Laue diffraction measurements of dislocation microstructure in shock-compressed single-crystal copper

Under uniaxial high-stress shock compression it is believed that crystalline materials undergo complex, rapid, micro-structural changes to relieve the large applied shear stresses. Diagnosing the underlying mechanisms involved remains a significant challenge in the field of shock physics, and is critical for furthering our understanding of the fundamental lattice-level physics, and for the validation of multi-scale models of shock compression. Here we employ white-light X-ray Laue diffraction on a nanosecond timescale to make the first in situ observations of the stress relaxation mechanism in a laser-shocked crystal. The measurements were made on single-crystal copper, shocked along the [001] axis to peak stresses of order 50 GPa. The results demonstrate the presence of stress-dependent lattice rotations along specific crystallographic directions. The orientation of the rotations suggests that there is double slip on conjugate systems. In this model, the rotation magnitudes are consistent with defect densities of order 10(12) cm(-2).

Nanosecond x-ray Laue diffraction apparatus suitable for laser shock compression experiments

We have used nanosecond bursts of x-rays emitted from a laser-produced plasma, comprised of a mixture of mid-Z elements, to produce a quasiwhite-light spectrum suitable for performing Laue diffraction from single crystals. The laser-produced plasma emits x-rays ranging in energy from 3 to in excess of 10 keV, and is sufficiently bright for single shot nanosecond diffraction patterns to be recorded. The geometry is suitable for the study of laser-shocked crystals, and single-shot diffraction patterns from both unshocked and shocked silicon crystals are presented.

In situ X-ray diffraction measurement of shock-wave-driven twinning and lattice dynamics

Pressure-driven shock waves in solid materials can cause extreme damage and deformation. Understanding this deformation and the associated defects that are created in the material is crucial in the study of a wide range of phenomena, including planetary formation and asteroid impact sites, the formation of interstellar dust clouds, ballistic penetrators, spacecraft shielding and ductility in high-performance ceramics. At the lattice level, the basic mechanisms of plastic deformation are twinning (whereby crystallites with a mirror-image lattice form) and slip (whereby lattice dislocations are generated and move), but determining which of these mechanisms is active during deformation is challenging. Experiments that characterized lattice defects have typically examined the microstructure of samples after deformation, and so are complicated by post-shock annealing and reverberations. In addition, measurements have been limited to relatively modest pressures (less than 100 gigapascals). In situ X-ray diffraction experiments can provide insights into the dynamic behaviour of materials, but have only recently been applied to plasticity during shock compression and have yet to provide detailed insight into competing deformation mechanisms. Here we present X-ray diffraction experiments with femtosecond resolution that capture in situ, lattice-level information on the microstructural processes that drive shock-wave-driven deformation. To demonstrate this method we shock-compress the body-centred-cubic material tantalum—an important material for high-energy-density physics owing to its high shock impedance and high X-ray opacity. Tantalum is also a material for which previous shock compression simulations and experiments have provided conflicting information about the dominant deformation mechanism. Our experiments reveal twinning and related lattice rotation occurring on the timescale of tens of picoseconds. In addition, despite the common association between twinning and strong shocks, we find a transition from twinning to dislocation-slip-dominated plasticity at high pressure (more than 150 gigapascals), a regime that recovery experiments cannot accurately access. The techniques demonstrated here will be useful for studying shock waves and other high-strain-rate phenomena, as well as a broad range of processes induced by plasticity.

Single photon energy dispersive x-ray diffraction.

With the pressure range accessible to laser driven compression experiments on solid material rising rapidly, new challenges in the diagnosis of samples in harsh laser environments are emerging. When driving to TPa pressures (conditions highly relevant to planetary interiors), traditional x-ray diffraction techniques are plagued by increased sources of background and noise, as well as a potential reduction in signal. In this paper we present a new diffraction diagnostic designed to record x-ray diffraction in low signal-to-noise environments. By utilising single photon counting techniques we demonstrate the ability to record diffraction patterns on nanosecond timescales, and subsequently separate, photon-by-photon, signal from background. In doing this, we mitigate many of the issues surrounding the use of high intensity lasers to drive samples to extremes of pressure, allowing for structural information to be obtained in a regime which is currently largely unexplored.

Simulations of copper single crystals subjected to rapid shear

We report on nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations of single crystals of copper experiencing rapid shear strain. A model system, with periodic boundary conditions, which includes a single dislocation dipole is subjected to a total shear strain of close to 10% on time-scales ranging from the instantaneous to 50 ps. When the system is strained on a time-scale short compared with a phonon period, the initial total applied shear is purely elastic, and the eventual temperature rise in the system due to the subsequent plastic work can be determined from the initial elastic strain energy. The rate at which this plastic work occurs, and heat is generated, depends on the dislocation velocity, which itself is a function of shear stress. A determination of the stress-dependence of the dislocation velocity allows us to construct a simple analytic model for the temperature rise in the system as a function of strain rate, and this model is found to be in good agreement with the simulations. For the effective dislocation density within the simulations, 7.8×1011cm−2, we find that applying the total shear strain on time-scales of a few tens of picoseconds greatly reduces the final temperature. We discuss these results in the context of the growing interest in producing high pressure, solid-state matter, by quasi-isentropic (rather than shock) compression.We report on nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations of single crystals of copper experiencing rapid shear strain. A model system, with periodic boundary conditions, which includes a single dislocation dipole is subjected to a total shear strain of close to 10% on time-scales ranging from the instantaneous to 50 ps. When the system is strained on a time-scale short compared with a phonon period, the initial total applied shear is purely elastic, and the eventual temperature rise in the system due to the subsequent plastic work can be determined from the initial elastic strain energy. The rate at which this plastic work occurs, and heat is generated, depends on the dislocation velocity, which itself is a function of shear stress. A determination of the stress-dependence of the dislocation velocity allows us to construct a simple analytic model for the temperature rise in the system as a function of strain rate, and this model is found to be in good agreement with the simulations. For the effective di...

Inelastic response of silicon to shock compression

The elastic and inelastic response of [001] oriented silicon to laser compression has been a topic of considerable discussion for well over a decade, yet there has been little progress in understanding the basic behaviour of this apparently simple material. We present experimental x-ray diffraction data showing complex elastic strain profiles in laser compressed samples on nanosecond timescales. We also present molecular dynamics and elasticity code modelling which suggests that a pressure induced phase transition is the cause of the previously reported ‘anomalous’ elastic waves. Moreover, this interpretation allows for measurement of the kinetic timescales for transition. This model is also discussed in the wider context of reported deformation of silicon to rapid compression in the literature.

Single Hit Energy-resolved Laue Diffraction.

In situ white light Laue diffraction has been successfully used to interrogate the structure of single crystal materials undergoing rapid (nanosecond) dynamic compression up to megabar pressures. However, information on strain state accessible via this technique is limited, reducing its applicability for a range of applications. We present an extension to the existing Laue diffraction platform in which we record the photon energy of a subset of diffraction peaks. This allows for a measurement of the longitudinal and transverse strains in situ during compression. Consequently, we demonstrate measurement of volumetric compression of the unit cell, in addition to the limited aspect ratio information accessible in conventional white light Laue. We present preliminary results for silicon, where only an elastic strain is observed. VISAR measurements show the presence of a two wave structure and measurements show that material downstream of the second wave does not contribute to the observed diffraction peaks, supporting the idea that this material may be highly disordered, or has undergone large scale rotation.

Phase transitions in shock compressed bismuth identified using single photon energy dispersive X-ray diffraction (SPEDX)

We present evidence for phase transitions in shock-compressed bismuth using the SPEDX x-ray diffraction technique. Experiments were performed on the Vulcan laser at the Central Laser Facility, RAL, Didcot, UK. We observed diffraction from the (110) bcc peak of Bi-V, and from its calculated lattice parameter the pressure was determined to be approximately 17 GPa. Upon further compression (higher laser intensities), no further diffraction from solid phases was observed. Shock melting of bismuth is thought to occur between 18 and 27 GPa. Diffraction results at lower pressures as a function of delay time are also presented.

X-ray diffraction measurements of plasticity in shock-compressed vanadium in the region of 10–70 GPa

We report experiments in which powder-diffraction data were recorded from polycrystalline vanadium foils, shock-compressed to pressures in the range of 10–70 GPa. Anisotropic strain in the compressed material is inferred from the asymmetry of Debye-Scherrer diffraction images and used to infer residual strain and yield strength (residual von Mises stress) of the vanadium sample material. We find residual anisotropic strain corresponding to yield strength in the range of 1.2 GPa–1.8 GPa for shock pressures below 30 GPa, but significantly less anisotropy of strain in the range of shock pressures above this. This is in contrast to our simulations of the experimental data using a multi-scale crystal plasticity strength model, where a significant yield strength persists up to the highest pressures we access in the experiment. Possible mechanisms that could contribute to the dynamic response of vanadium that we observe for shock pressures ≥30 GPa are discussed.