Solids under high pressure

Progress in high pressure research has resulted in tremendous gains in knowledge on materials behavior over a wide range of pressures. Experimental high pressure research takes advantage of numerous recent developments in diamond-anvil-cell techniques, mainly with respect to advances in analytical methods that utilize synchrotron x-ray radiation (diffraction and inelastic scattering), optical spectroscopy, and synchrotron infrared spectroscopy. Our subjects of interest range from illuminating the interplay between subtle changes in atomic arrangements, electron delocalization, magnetism, and superconductivity to fundamental questions about phase transformations, crystal structure, and the nature of interatomic bonding. Some of our recent results are briefly highlighted here.