The ultimate goal of the project is to develop new methodologies and to study phase relations, partitioning of elements between liquid and solidus phase(s), and thermoelastic properties of phases in the binary Fe-Ni and ternary Fe-Ni-L (L=Si, O, S, Al, Mg) systems in order to obtain information crucial for modeling the Earth’s core. Successful interpretation of geophysical data requires information on the structural and phase stabilities of Fe-based alloys under physical conditions of Earth's core, that is at pressures exceeding 150 GPa and temperatures up to 6000 K. However, experiments at extreme conditions are usually associated with significant challenges; these include limited sample size in the diamond-anvil cell, non-quenchable phase transitions, and pressure and temperature gradients. Therefore, it is essential to complement experimental studies by modern theory of condensed matter. At the same time, the theoretical methods still have certain limitations on their accuracy, and therefore theoretical predictions require experimental verification. Thus a direct interaction between theory and experiment within the present project will lead to strong synergetic effect. Combining theory and the experiment in order to establish a better insight into properties of Earth's core is a clear in the current proposal.
Dr. Leonid Dubrovinsky (Project Leader)
Bayerisches Geoinstitut, Universität Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
Professor Igor Abrikosov
Linköpings Universitet, Linköping, Sweden
Dr. Rajeev Ahuja
Uppsala Universitet, Uppsala, Sweden
Dr. Igor Goncharenko
Laboratoire Léon Brillouin, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
Professor Börje Johansson
Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan, Stockholm, Sweden
Dr. Maurizio Mattesini
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Professor Vladimir Dmitriev
European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Grenoble, France
Dr. Sakura Pascarelli
European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Grenoble, France
