Figure 1: Schematic of the experimental setup at the Matter at Extreme Conditions endstation of the Linac Coherent Light Source.
From: Nanosecond formation of diamond and lonsdaleite by shock compression of graphite
Two high-energy laser beams drive shock waves into graphite samples generating pressures from 20 to 230 GPa. The shock transit times of few nanoseconds are recorded by a VISAR system, which detects the shock-induced reflectivity drop of a 100-nm thick aluminum coating when the shock exits on the target rear side. The microscopic state is probed by a single X-ray pulse with 6 keV photon energy and 50 fs pulse duration. X-ray diffraction is recorded by a large area X-ray detector.
