Upgrade of the Multi-Anvil High-Pressure Facility at Arizona State University

Arizona State University, Scottsdale AZ

Investigators

Abstract

0842418 Leinenweber "This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5)." This proposal seeks ~$126K funding to purchase a second multi-anvil high pressure device. The current multi-anvil systems are fully booked ? and have been so for the past four years. Requested is a 1000 ton capacity, 8800 psi press with a 15" vertical and 17" horizontal opening. Components of a pumping system of the PI?s design are also requested. The press will be installed in the high-pressure facility at ASU. The new press will enter into service for mineral physics, geochemistry and experimental petrology, and other high-pressure studies. The new multi-anvil press will be used in understanding Earth mantle transport properties to include deuterium-hydrogen inter-diffusion in olivines and mantle material electrical conductivity. Olivines will be further studied through simulating subduction zone pressures and observing anhydrous and hydrous transformation kinetics. High-pressure studies will also be conducted to better understand shocked meteorites in terms of impact history, pressure, temperature and duration. Experimentally, hydrated olivines will be tested under varying temperatures and pressures with the long-term goal of determining hydration effects on slab mechanics. Diffusion, electrical conductivity, phase equilibrium and melting behavior of mantle materials will be assessed under controlled conditions. Silicate chemistry will also be determined under pressures and temperatures typical of the lower mantle using the press. Other sample types will also be studied under high temperatures and pressures in the cell, including glasses, perovskite, and novel hydrides. Aside from representing an available resource for high-pressure work among academic scientists, the facility will be used in undergraduate geology laboratories, be an integral part of undergraduate and graduate research, and serve as a foundation in existing ASU outreach programs designed to encourage underrepresented students. ***