US Large Multi-Anvil Press Facility (LMAPF), Colorado Springs, CO, July 6, 2015 (Prior to COMPRES Annual Meeting)

The multi-anvil press has played a vital role in advancing our understanding of processes in the deep interiors of Earth and other planets over the past 4 decades. Yet, the conventional technique is limited to pressures less than 30 GPa, making it difficult to study mineral phases in the deep mantle and the core of the Earth, or at the conditions of larger planets (such as recently discovered Earth-like extra-solar planets). Furthermore, the size of the sample becomes very small (a few mg) above 20 GPa, limiting our capability to study important properties for understanding the physical and chemical processes in the Earth.

These limitations have been recently overcome in 6000 ton and 5000 ton multi-anvil presses in Japan and Germany. Similar presses are currently under development in China. For example, nanodiamonds have been developed in big presses and used to achieve the pressure-temperature conditions of the deep lower mantle for understanding important processes, including element partitioning and deep transport of water. The large volume of the sample produced by the big presses have allowed us to understand key processes in deep Earth’s interior, including redox conditions and water and carbon cycles. However, in the US, there is no big press which can compete with the capabilities developed in other countries.

Scientific need for big presses in the US is apparent. In order to obtain samples with sufficient quality in the big presses, the US mineral physicists have traveled to institutions in Japan and Germany. On the other hand, the US mineral physics community has led in a number of exciting technical developments for the multi-anvil press, such as ultrasonic measurements, synchrotron measurements, mineral and rock deformation, and cell assembly standardization. Therefore, our intention for big press development is to take advantage of our existing strengths and capabilities and enhance the technique to the next level. Big press techniques will also have profound impact in other high-pressure communities in the US, such as physics, chemistry, materials science, and engineering.

Goals of the workshop:

    Identifying scientific and engineering needs for US Large Multi-Anvil Press Facility
    Exploring many different models for making sustainable facility for long term.
    Investigating optimal types of presses for the US community’s need.
    Discussing models for funding, management and operation of the facility

Organizing committee:

S.-H. Shim (ASU), C. Bina (Northwestern U), W. Durham (MIT), Y. Fei (CIW), S. Jacobsen (Northwestern U), S. Karato (Yale), K. Leinenweber (ASU), J.-F. Lin (UT Austin), N. Ross (VT), T. Sharp (ASU), J. R. Smyth (U Colorado), E. Soignard (ASU), C. Till (ASU), J. Tyburczy (ASU), Y. Wang (U Chicago), D. Weidner (SUNY), J. Yarger (ASU)

Program: (Monday July 6, 2015)

8:30am-8:40am Introduction.  Shim

Session 1: Big Presses around the world.  Chair: Nancy Ross

8:40am-9:30am T. Katsura (BGI), Invited
9:30am-10:20am T. Irifune (GRC), Invited

10:20am-10:50am Break
 

Session 2: Science cases.  Chair: Bill Durham

10:50-11:10am A. Navrotsky, Calorimetry
11:10-11:30am J. Smyth, Volatiles
11:30-11:50pm Shim, Equation of state, Phase equilibria
11:50-12:10pm Kai Landskron, Chemistry

12:10pm-1:40pm Lunch
 

Session 3: Science cases.  Chair:  TBA

1:40-2:00pm Bill Durham, deformation experiments and big press
2:00-2:20pm Shun Karato, Transport properties
2:20-2:40pm Don Weidner, Rheology

2:40pm-3:00pm Break
 

Session 4: Technical cases.  Chair: Jim Tyburczy

3:00-3:20pm Leinenweber, cell assemblage developments
3:20-3:40pm P. Dera, Single crystal diffraction
3:40-4:00pm N. Ross, Neutron source
4:00-4:20pm Y. Wang, Synchrotron

4:20pm-5:20pm Discussion.  Chair: Shim

Attendees

Agee, Carl
Bass, Jay
Burnley, Pamela
Chantel, Julien
Chen, Bin
Couvy, Helene
Danielson, Lisa
Dera, Przemyslaw
dos Santos, Antonio
Durham, Bill
Irifune, Tetsuo
Jing, Zhicheng
Karato, Shun
Katsura, Tomo
Kavner, Abby
Kono, Yoshio
Landskron, Kai
Leinenweber, Kurt
Manghnani, Murli
Mosenfelder, Jed
Mueller, Hans
Navrotsky, Alex
Officer, Tim
Pomato, Martha
Ross, Nancy
Rowland II, Richard
Sharp, Tom
Shieh, Sean
Shim, Sang-Heon
Smyth, Joseph
Tyburczy, Jim
Vaughan, Michael
Wang, Yanbin
Weidner, Donald
Whitaker, Mathew