The Sm:YAG primary fluorescence pressure scale

Primary pressure determinations involve the measurement of pressure without recourse to secondary standard materials. These measurements are essential for ensuring the accuracy of pressures measured in gasketed high-pressure devices. In this study, the wavelength of optical fluorescence bands and the density of single crystal Sm-doped yttrium aluminum garnet Y3Al5O12 (Sm:YAG) have been calibrated as a primary pressure scale up to 58 GPa. Absolute pressures were obtained by integrating the bulk modulus determined via Brillouin spectroscopy with respect to volumes measured simultaneously by X-ray diffraction. A third-order Birch-Murnaghan equation of state of Sm:YAG yields V0 = 1735.15(26) A3, KT0 = 185(1.5) GPa, and K` = 4.18(5). The accompanied pressure-induced shifts of the fluorescence lines Y1 and Y2 of Sm:YAG were calibrated to the primary pressure, thus creating a highly accurate fluorescence pressure scale. These shifts are described as P = (A/B) * {[1 + (Δλ/λ0)]B − 1} with A = 2089.91(23.04), B = −4.43(1.07) for Y1, and A = 2578.22(48.70), B = −15.38(1.62) for Y2 bands, where ∆λ = λ − λ0, λ and λ0 are wavelengths in nanometer at pressure and ambient conditions. The sensitivity in the pressure determination of the Sm:YAG fluorescence shift is 0.32 nm/GPa, which is identical to that of the ruby scale. Sm:YAG can be considered elastically isotropic up to 58 GPa, implying insensitivity of the determined pressure to the crystallographic orientation under nonhydrostatic or quasi-hydrostatic conditions. The Sm:YAG fluorescence shift is apparently also independent of crystallographic orientation, in contrast to that of ruby. Since the Y fluorescence band of Sm:YAG is insensitive to temperature changes, this material is highly suitable for the measurement of pressure at elevated temperatures.