Capability Development using Dynamic X-ray Diffraction of Bi on NIF

The TARDIS platform on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is a capability that can provide X-ray diffraction images of laser-shocked samples at two separate times during a dynamic loading path. This capability has proven valuable at providing insight into the physical state and behavior of a wide range of solid/liquid materials under dynamic loading conditions, specifically shock and shock-ramp experiments. While NIF has the capacity to achieve extremely high pressures, it is desirable to control the level of an initial shock precisely, to probe the equation of state, phase diagram, and kinetic behavior of materials starting at relatively low pressures (<100GPa). However, achieving a steady low-pressure drive can be challenging. To develop and refine this capability, bismuth was chosen as a target material due to its rich phase diagram at low pressures that presents opportunities to explore interesting physics (e.g., a multiphase liquid, metastable solid phases, rate-dependent phase transitions, multiple proposed melt lines, etc.). This talk will provide a brief overview of the bismuth studies that have been done using this platform, focusing on recent low-pressure studies that were done to develop this capability.