9th GRC International Frontier Seminar

"High Pressure -- A New Dimension in Physical Science"

Dr. Ho-Kwang Mao
Senior Research Scientist, Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington


27 Noｖember 2003　17:00-18:00
Meeting room, 6th floor, Advanced Research Building, Ehime University

　High-pressure research is emerging as a major branch of interdisciplinary science which covers physics, chemistry, Earth, planetary and materials research. We are witnessing breakthroughs in our understanding of three-dimensional global dynamics, of which plate tectonics is the surface manifestation. On the extraterrestrial front, high-pressure studies of hydrogen, helium, and planetary ices are revealing the secrets hidden within the vast interiors of Jovian planets. Extreme pressures provide fertile ground for the formation of new materials, as evidenced by the new phase transitions, new superconductors, and new chemical bondings observed in scores of materials studied to megabar pressures. Even the most basic materials, such as H2, H2O and CH4, undergo series of intriguing and unexpected transitions. High-pressure research will ultimately lead to the establishment of a new Periodic Table, one which has the same elements but completely redefined chemical reactivities at megabar pressures. With pressure, we can tune electronic, magnetic, structural and vibrational properties of condensed matter for a wide range of applications, and provide critical tests of fundamental theory. The development of new theories and discovery of novel physical phenomena unique to extreme pressure conditions provide a vast new frontier for physics.

　

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主催：愛媛大学地球深部ダイナミクス研究センター