Materials under extreme conditions

Professor Carsten P. Welsch, Scientific Theme Lead

RUEDI will provide insight into how materials and devices perform under extremes of temperature, pressure, field and environment.

• Magnetic field: can reach 20T as an in-plane component
• Electric field: can reach 10^11 V/m > FEG 10^9 V/m
• Pressure: pulsed laser can generate a shockwave of >100GPa
• Temperature: up to ablation of the material.

With advances in nanotechnology and the development of stronger, lighter and more functional materials, combined with ever more extreme environmental conditions, new materials and material combinations seem endless.

The RUEDI facility has the potential to facilitate this path to scientific and technical breakthrough in the form of entirely new materials with a theme focus on materials in the energy sector, materials in laboratory astrophysics, and materials engineering.

During the preliminary consultation stage at a Town Hall Event which was held in July 2022, the uniqueness of RUEDI was described, offering a representative set of materials challenges that illustrate the types of experiments that will be performed during the initial testing and operations phase of the RUEDI system. As the community of users grows and the instrument comes on-line, the specific capabilities of the RUEDI facility and its associated experimental ecosystem will provide unparalleled insights.

Preliminary experiments and findings will be outlined on the draft report.

The report from the event can be accessed here and was used to inform the conceptual design review.