| Stepper Motor Control Software: |
| Fortran-based software to control stepper motors. Download .
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| Single-crystal Diffractometers: back to top |
| Single-crystal X-ray diffraction at room conditions and, especially, at high-pressures are conducted in our lab. We have two Picker diffractometers that have been upgraded with new electronics and run on the Windows95/98/2000/NT platform using our inhouse modification of Larry Finger's SINGLE software. Our two machines originally belonged to Charlie Burnham at Harvard and to the Smithsonian.
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| Motor Drivers: back to top |
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Motors on diffractometers need to be moved. We are working on Windows algorithms for this. Here is some info on using our Single code to run motors for translation devices.
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| Single-crystal Diffractometer Shutter: back to top |
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We have designed and built a new shutter for a Picker diffractometer. Images and details of the shutter can be examined.
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| Powder Diffractometer: back to top |
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We have a Siemens D-500 powder diffractometer for general use, primarily as a service instrument. Wes Bilodeau runs the powder lab, and should be contacted for any questions about this facility. The first confirmation of crystalline buckyballs was recorded in 1990 on this machine by Wes and Dr. D.R.Huffman .
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| Raman Spectrometer: back to top |
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We have a Raman spectrometer built by Alex Goncharov and Victor Struzhkin. It is used to examine the vibrational spectroscopy of minerals at pressure, as well as a means to mesure the pressure in the diamond anvil cells. We are currently building a mineralogicaal database of Raman spectra from specimens in the University of Arizona Mineral Museum.
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| Diamond Anvil Cells: back to top |
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Single-crystal X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy experiments at high-pressures are conducted with a sample that is inclosed in a four-post diamond anvil cell as illustrated .
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| Gas Loading Apparatus: back to top |
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We have a machine to load the four-post diamond anvil cells with gas to about 2.5 kbar. The main purpose is to load helium as a pressure medium since it remains quasi-hydrostatic to the highest pressures.
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| Miscellaneous Items: back to top |
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We have run some Raman measurements on moissanite to compare with diamonds for use in a diamond anvil cell. The images demonstrate that moissanite is not a suitable anvil for Raman experiments at high pressures.
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