Highlights: Matter at Extremes

Scientists unveil the head of a prehistoric giant arthropod
New research reveals Earth's ancient 'breath'
EXAFS helps to unveil the spin-phonon coupling strength in a spintronic material
Chemistry under sheer force
The dense methane-hydrogen system yields a record-breaking compound containing over 50% hydrogen by weight
Observing hot dense superionic water
Scientists synthesise new materials at terapascal pressures for the first time
Australopithecus sediba is back at the ESRF – and this time he’s not alone!
The reign of the dinosaurs ended in spring
5 ways the ESRF’s research is helping tackle climate change
Early dinosaurs were sociable
Platinum hitches a ride with sulfur in the Earth’s crust
Carbon trapped in ocean floor rocks mostly sinks into the deep Earth
Where did life originate on Earth? Ancient hot springs under the seafloor could have the answer
New fossil sheds light on the evolution of how dinosaurs breathed
ESRF user awarded ERC advanced grant
High-pressure synthesis of phosphine from the elements and the discovery of the missing (PH3)2H2 tile
Hard X-ray spectroscopy with “Newton’s prism”
Evolution of the elastic properties of glassy amber in 110 million years measured by inelastic X-ray scattering
Determination of the kinetic constants of chemical reactions in the millisecond timescale by coupled XAS and UV/Vis spectroscopy
Revealing the structure of nitrogen’s most complex polymorph
Iron sesquioxide under pressure: formation of a new iron oxide polymorph
Elastic properties of molecular spin-crossover solids investigated by synchrotron techniques and by MEMS technology
FeSi: a new building block for iron-based superconductivity
Oxidised garnets from the Earth’s transition zone
Did Plate tectonics aid the development of life on Earth?
Localisation and speciation of impurities in deactivated petrochemical heterogeneous catalysts
Superradiance of an ensemble of nuclei excited by a free electron laser
Interlayer bond formation in black phosphorus at high pressure
Sudden shifts sharpen X-ray pulses
Synthesis of FeH5 under pressure: dense atomic metal hydrogen stabilised with Fe
Redox processes in Fe catalysts resolved by XAS and UV/Vis spectroscopy
Redox-active MOF for reversible capture and release of halogens
Stable subnanometric platinum catalyst characterised by XAS
First users on brand new beamline ID15
#weekendusers Resolving the mystery of the Earth’s missing gas
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awards extreme-conditions users
In search of the missing xenon
New phenomenon in old material: giant spin-phonon interaction unveiled in EuO
Where science never sleeps
Observation of superconductivity in H2S by nuclear resonant scattering
Diffraction based transmission X-ray microscopy
In situ studies of palladium nanoparticles during methane oxidation
Synchrotron X-ray spectroscopy sheds light on the major Cu-species in the Cu-CHA deNOx catalyst
Bimetallic nanoalloys as highly effective hydrogenation catalysts
Nuclear resonance scattering clarifies the structure of a pharmacologically relevant iron sulfur protein and its interaction with inhibitors
Nanosize effect on magnetism
Unconventional high-Tc superconductivity in fullerides
Polyamorphism of a Ce-based metallic glass under high pressure
High Poisson’s ratio of Earth’s inner core explained by carbon alloying
XAS: a novel approach to determine iron melting at megabar pressures
Discovery of new high pressure iron oxides points to a large oxygen source in Earth's mantle
Revealing the molecular structure of kerogen in gas shale
Nuclear resonance scattering clarifies the structure of a pharmacologically relevant iron sulfur protein and its interaction with inhibitors
Melting temperature of iron at megabar pressures: a new spectroscopic approach to estimate the Earth inner core boundary temperature
Record high pressure squeezes secrets out of osmium
Giant pressure-induced volume collapse in the pyrite mineral MnS2
Buoyant magmas trigger supervolcano eruptions
Melting of subducted basalt at the core-mantle boundary
(N2)3Ne7: a high pressure van der Waals insertion compound
A new crystal phase of ferrocene
Diverse chemistry in the magnesium/carbon system
Hyperfine splitting and room-temperature ferromagnetism of Ni at multimegabar pressure
Role of disorder in the thermodynamics and atomic dynamics of glasses
Local fivefold symmetry in liquid and undercooled Ni
Rate capability enhancement by Ru doping in high voltage lithium-ion battery cathode material LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4
What drives oscillations in CO oxidation by O2 over Rh/Al2O3 catalysts?
Probing wave functions in complex oxides with X-rays
Room-temperature ferromagnetism of nickel at multimegabar pressure
Iron electronic state and the electrical conductivity of the Earth’s lower mantle
Reactivity of xenon with ice under planetary conditions
Does nuclear resonant scattering violate reciprocity?
High pressure synthesis of high oxidation state metal nitrides using a pre-structured nanocrystalline chemical precursor
Phonon anomalies and the Verwey transition in magnetite
The Earth’s Centre is 1000 Degrees Hotter than Previously Thought
A path to new manganites with perovskite structure
Scientists probe atomic structure and dynamics of water under deep Earth extreme pressure and temperature conditions
New structures of carbonates at high pressures and their relevance for the deep Earth carbon cycle
An exotic form of ice: superionic ammonia
X-rays illuminate the origin of volcanic hotspots
Cardiovascular regulatory nitric oxide binding to heme proteins investigated using nuclear resonance scattering
The role of electron-phonon coupling in understanding the phase diagram of uranium
Real-space multiple-scattering approach to resonant inelastic X-ray scattering
Sapphire monochromator for hard X-rays (> 30 keV) with sub-meV bandwidth
Novel X-ray imaging technique with molecular-bond sensitivity
New host for carbon in the deep Earth
Silicon carbonate formed from carbon dioxide and silicon dioxide
Role of platinum in tin oxide based gas sensors: a study under working conditions
The role of electron-phonon coupling in understanding the phase diagram of uranium
Lattice dynamics of cerium metal across the gamma to alpha transition
Cerium’s unusual behaviour
Plasmons in sodium under pressure
Cold melting and solid structures of dense lithium
Equivalence of the boson peak in glasses to the transverse acoustic van Hove singularity in crystals
X-rays illuminate the interior of the Moon
Silicon carbonate phase formed from carbon dioxide and silica under pressure
Cerium enters a rare and spectacular phase
Determining the state of Pt in SnO2-based sensors under working conditions
New synchrotron technique could see hidden building blocks of life
Why chaos is warmer than order

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