Diamond cells and new materials

A technique of generating diamonds and controlling high pressure and high temperature using diamond cells is described. The diamond cell uses two diamond anvils to compress the pressure chamber made of hard steel or metal with a hole. Pressures in laser-heated diamond cells are regularly measured by the ruby fluorescence method, while the incandescent light emitted by the heated sample is used to determine the temperature using Plank radiation function. Experiments at the synchrotron facilities showed that the luminescence of most materials decreases at high pressures. Several examples related to these topics such as phase transition and melting behavior are also discussed.