Time resolved shock induced phase transitions in powdered SiO₂

Geophysical materials such as silicates are ubiquitous within the Earth, including Earth’s deep interior. These materials are studied under high pressure and temperature environments to best match the conditions they are under in the planetary interior. To restrict complicating factors, these efforts primarily probe the bulk single crystal/polycrystalline form of the geophysical material via velocimetry or, less frequently, by surface X-ray analyses. Confounding variables due to the heterogeneity of real geophysical materials makes these studies less representative or informative on their true response. To better understand dynamics of geophysical granular materials, 54% TMD SiO₂ was shock compressed using a two-stage gas gun and probed by both in-situ X-rays for diffraction analyses and velocimetry diagnostics. These results are compared to fully dense SiO₂ to provide the role of porosity upon phase transitions and implications that may have in predictive modeling capabilities.