Liquid carbon

Laser-driven liquid carbon is generated in less than 0.5 ps!

E. Principi et al.  Phys. Rev. Lett. 125, 155703 (2020)
A liquid carbon (l-C) sample is generated through constant volume heating exposing an amorphous carbon foil to an intense ultrashort laser pulse. Time-resolved x-ray absorption spectroscopy at the C K edge is used to monitor the dynamics of the melting process revealing a subpicosecond rearrangement of the electronic structure associated with a sudden change of the C bonding hybridization. The obtained l-C sample, resulting from a nonthermal melting mechanism, reaches a transient equilibrium condition with a temperature of about 14 200 K and pressure in the order of 0.5 Mbar in about 0.3 ps, prior to hydrodynamic expansion. A detailed analysis of the atomic and electronic structure in solid-density l-C based on time-resolved x-ray absorption spectroscopy and theoretical simulations is presented. The method can be fruitfully used for extending the experimental investigation of the C phase diagram in a vast unexplored region covering the 103–104  K temperature range with pressures up to 1 Mbar.

Further informative readings:
TOP STORY
Phys.org (2020)
FELs of Europe, issue 10 (2021)
Research Outreach, issue 125, pp 162 (2021)