Premium
Phase transition and metallization of FeO at high pressures and temperatures
Author(s) -
Fischer Rebecca A.,
Campbell Andrew J.,
Lord Oliver T.,
Shofner Gregory A.,
Dera Przemyslaw,
Prakapenka Vitali B.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2011gl049800
Subject(s) - wüstite , mantle (geology) , diamond anvil cell , materials science , transition zone , inner core , phase transition , emissivity , core–mantle boundary , phase boundary , geology , mineralogy , phase (matter) , thermodynamics , high pressure , geophysics , metallurgy , magnetite , composite material , chemistry , optics , physics , organic chemistry
Wüstite, Fe 1‐x O, is an important component in the mineralogy of Earth's lower mantle and may also be a component of the core. Therefore its high pressure‐temperature behavior, including its electronic structure, is essential to understanding the nature and evolution of Earth's deep interior. We performed X‐ray diffraction and radiometric measurements on wüstite in a laser‐heated diamond anvil cell, finding an insulator‐metal transition at high pressures and temperatures. Our data show a negative slope for this apparently isostructural phase boundary, which is characterized by a volume decrease and emissivity increase. The metallic phase of FeO is stable at conditions of the lower mantle and core, which has implications for the high P‐T character of Fe‐O bonds, magnetic field propagation, and lower mantle conductivity.