The structure of liquid carbon elucidated by in situ X-ray diffraction

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Kraus, D.; Rips, J.; Schoerner, M.; Stevenson, M. G.; Vorberger, J.; Ranjan, D.; Luetgert, J.; Heuser, B.; Eggert, J. H.; Liermann, H. -p.; Oleynik, I. I.; Pandolfi, S.; Redmer, R.; Sollier, A.; Strohm, C.; Volz, T. J.; Albertazzi, B.; Ali, S. J.; Antonelli, L.; Baehtz, C.; Ball, O. B.; Banerjee, S.; Belonoshko, A. B.; Bolme, C. A.; Bouffetier, V.; Briggs, R.; Buakor, K.; Butcher, T.; Cerantola, V.; Chantel, J.; Coleman, A. L.; Collier, J.; Collins, G. W.; Comley, A. J.; Cowan, T. E.; Cristoforetti, G.; Cynn, H.; Descamps, A.; Di Cicco, A.; Di Dio Cafiso, S.; Dorchies, F.; Duff, M. J.; Dwivedi, A.; Edwards, C.; Errandonea, D.; Galitskiy, S.; Galtier, E.; Ginestet, H.; Gizzi, L.; Gleason, A.; Goede, S.; Gonzalez, J. M.; Gorman, M. G.; Harmand, M.; Hartley, N. J.; Heighway, P. G.; Hernandez-Gomez, C.; Higginbotham, A.; Hoeppner, H.; Husband, R. J.; Hutchinson, T. M.; Hwang, H.; Keen, D. A.; Kim, J.; Koester, P.; Konopkova, Z.; Krygier, A.; Labate, L.; Laso Garcia, A.; Lazicki, A. E.; Lee, Y.; Mason, P.; Masruri, M.; Massani, B.; McBride, E. E.; McHardy, J. D.; McGonegle, D.; McGuire, C.; Mcwilliams, R. S.; Merkel, S.; Morard, G.; Nagler, B.; Nakatsutsumi, M.; Nguyen-Cong, K.; Norton, A. -m.; Ozaki, N.; Otzen, C.; Peake, D. J.; Pelka, A.; Pereira, K. A.; Phillips, J. P.; Prescher, C.; Preston, T. R.; Randolph, L.; Ravasio, A.; Santamaria-Perez, D.; Savage, D. J.; Schoelmerich, M.; Schwinkendorf, J. -p.; Singh, S.; Smith, J.; Smith, R. F.; Spear, J.; Spindloe, C.; Suer, T. -a.; Tang, M.; Toncian, M.; Toncian, T.; Tracy, S. J.; Trapananti, A.; Vennari, C. E.; Vinci, T.; Tyldesley, M.; Vogel, S. C.; Walsh, J. P. S.; Wark, J. S.; Willman, J. T.; Wollenweber, L.; Zastrau, U.; Brambrink, E.; Appel, K.; McMahon, M. I.
• 署名单位: University of Rostock; Helmholtz Association; Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR); United States Department of Energy (DOE); Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; Helmholtz Association; Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY); State University System of Florida; University of South Florida; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS); Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement (IRD); Sorbonne Universite; Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle (MNHN); Universite Paris Saclay; CEA; Institut Polytechnique de Paris; Ecole Polytechnique; CEA; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS); Sorbonne Universite; University of York - UK; University of Edinburgh; University of Edinburgh; UK Research & Innovation (UKRI); Science & Technology Facilities Council (STFC); STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory; Nanjing University; United States Department of Energy (DOE); Los Alamos National Laboratory; European XFEL; University of Milano-Bicocca; Universite de Lille; Centrale Lille; INRAE; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS); University of Rochester; University of Rochester; University of Rochester; Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR); Istituto Nazionale di Ottica (INO-CNR); Queens University Belfast; University of Camerino; Universite de Bordeaux; CEA; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS); University of Valencia; Stanford University; United States Department of Energy (DOE); SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS); Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement (IRD); Sorbonne Universite; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS); heSam Universite; Conservatoire National Arts & Metiers (CNAM); University of Oxford; Gwangju Institute of Science & Technology (GIST); UK Research & Innovation (UKRI); Science & Technology Facilities Council (STFC); STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory; Hanyang University; Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR); Istituto Nazionale di Ottica (INO-CNR); Yonsei University; Communaute Universite Grenoble Alpes; Universite Grenoble Alpes (UGA); Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS); Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement (IRD); Universite Gustave-Eiffel; Universite Savoie Mont Blanc; University of Osaka; University of Freiburg; University of Massachusetts System; University of Massachusetts Amherst; Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology Domain; Paul Scherrer Institute; Carnegie Institution for Science
• 刊物名称: Nature
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0028-1334
• DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09035-6
• 发表日期: 2025-06-12
• 关键词: initio molecular-dynamics; graphite; energy; laser; temperature; TRANSITION; diamonds

摘要

Carbon has a central role in biology and organic chemistry, and its solid allotropes provide the basis of much of our modern technology1. However, the liquid form of carbon remains nearly uncharted2, and the structure of liquid carbon and most of its physical properties are essentially unknown3. But liquid carbon is relevant for modelling planetary interiors4,5 and the atmospheres of white dwarfs6, as an intermediate state for the synthesis of advanced carbon materials7,8, inertial confinement fusion implosions9, hypervelocity impact events on carbon materials10 and our general understanding of structured fluids at extreme conditions11. Here we present a precise structure measurement of liquid carbon at pressures of around 1 million atmospheres obtained by in situ X-ray diffraction at an X-ray free-electron laser. Our results show a complex fluid with transient bonding and approximately four nearest neighbours on average, in agreement with quantum molecular dynamics simulations. The obtained data substantiate the understanding of the liquid state of one of the most abundant elements in the universe and can test models of the melting line. The demonstrated experimental abilities open the path to performing similar studies of the structure of liquids composed of light elements at extreme conditions.