Phase transitions under high pressure

Clamped-piston cells are used to study matter under extreme pressure conditions by means of both macro- and microscopic investigations. This allows us to access quantum phase transitions, which occur close to the absolute zero temperature, when parameters such as magnetic field, chemical composition, or pressure are changed. Organic systems, characterized by weak bonds, are well-known to show phase transitions already at ~0.5 GPa.

Outcomes:

N. Barbero, T. Shiroka, C. P. Landee, M. Pikulski, H.-R. Ott, and J. Mesot, and H.-R. Ott, “external page Pressure and magnetic field effects on a quasi-two-dimensional spin-1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnet”, Phys. Rev. B 93, 054425 (2016).