A Review of the Melting Curves of Transition Metals at High Pressures Using Static Compression Techniques

Abstract

The accurate determination of melting curves for transition metals is an intense topic within high pressure research, both because of the technical challenges included as well as the controversial data obtained from various experiments. This review presents the main static techniques that are used for melting studies, with a strong focus on the diamond anvil cell; it also explores the state of the art of melting detection methods and analyzes the major reasons for discrepancies in the determination of the melting curves of transition metals. The physics of the melting transition is also discussed.

Keywords

• melting curves
• laser-heated diamond anvil cell
• extreme conditions
• synchrotron radiation
• transition metals
• phase transitions