High Pressure & Gas Handling

For the investigation of samples under extreme temperatures, hydrostatic, clamp, and diamond anvil cells are available for a wide range of pressures. Gas handling systems are available for in-situ measurements with many types of gases.

Policy for the provision of diamond anvil cells (DACs) at the SNAP Beamline

  • The need of a Diamond Anvil Cell (DAC) has to be explicitly requested in the beamtime proposal, otherwise the provision of a DAC cannot be guaranteed.
  • Users must contact the instrument team as soon as possible (minimum 8 weeks) prior to the beamtime to discuss details of the experiment.
  • Users should arrive well in advance for the experiment (typically 2-3 days) and always a full day before beamtime starts.  
  • Standard SNAP DACs  are provided. 
  • One DAC will be provided per beamtime visit. Its use is solely for the completion of the proposed experiment. Provided that adequate resources and components are available, a second DAC might be available, contingent upon instrument staff approval.
  • Samples need to be available at least a week prior to the beamtime to allow for the preparation of the DAC as soon as resources are available.
  • In special cases, samples may be requested at the beginning of the cycle for feasibility assessment. Beamtime scheduling may be contingent on those results.
  • A successful loading is not guaranteed, especially on the first attempt. 
    - Unsuccessful preparations may lead to cancellation of the beamtime, and the user should resubmit the (modified) proposal.
    - Alternatively, the beamtime can go ahead if there is an approved alternate sample added to the proposal.
  • Various pressure-transmitting media are available; gas loading has to be requested preferably in the beamtime proposal. It should always be discussed in advance. 
  • Staff members that make significant contributions for the preparation of the cell and sample loading should be co-authors of any publication resulting from the experiment.
  • Any decision regarding any issue that affects the safety of the equipment ultimately lies with the instrument staff.
  • The equipment has to be operated under the health and safety rules provided and the advice of the instrument staff must be followed.