Method to determine the melting temperatures of metals under megabar shock pressures

Abstract

Based on the model that the high-pressure melting temperatures of metals approximately equal the experimentally measured interface temperatures between the metallic plate sample and the transparent window when shock- and/or release-induced melting falls into the mixed phase region, we proposed a method to determine the melting temperatures of metals under megabars of shock compression. Experiments were conducted by using the oxygen-free high-conductivity copper, and pure iron plate sample with single-crystal lithium fluoride windows. Results showed that the measured melting temperatures are in good agreement with reported theoretical calculations.