Design of Raman Spectroscopy System for In Situ Measurements of Superconductors in Diamond Anvil Cells

Diamond anvil cells (DACs) are devices capable of producing extreme pressures on the order of thousands of atmospheres, which they accomplish by clamping a material between the interface of two diamonds. Due to their small size, DACs allow for in situ measurements of electrical, magnetic, structural, and optical properties of materials under cryogenic conditions. These conditions allow us to probe quantum phenomena in our samples, such as the effect of pressure on the critical temperature for superconductors. In our project, we have constructed an optical setup that will enable us to perform Raman spectroscopy on samples under high pressure and cryogenic conditions. Due to the design of the DAC and its placement within a cryostat, there are numerous design considerations that must be factored in order to adequately collect low-yield Raman spectra. Our design is highly modular, and allows us to adjust the system to our specific cryogenic equipment, which would not necessarily be the case for commercial systems. Our ultimate goal is to perform electronic Raman measurements on the superconducting energy gap that opens up at temperatures sufficiently below the critical temperature. For our presentation, we intend to showcase the design of our in-house setup and present the preliminary Raman spectra we obtained from a cerium oxide sample at room temperature and high pressure.