Crystal structure and compression of ruby to 46 kbar

Abstract

Crystal structures and lattice constants have been determined for ruby at hydrostatic pressures up to 46 kbar using a gasketed opposed‐anvil diamond cell on a four‐circle diffractometer. The measured compressibility is slightly anisotropic, having a value of 1.36±0.03×10−4 kbar−1 parallel to c and 1.22±0.03×10−4 kbar−1 perpendicular to c. If a Birch‐Murnaghan equation of state is used and K′0 is assumed to be 4, the isothermal bulk modulus is 2.57±0.06 Mbar. Refined atomic coordinates do not change with pressure; therefore, the structure compresses in a uniform manner. This study demonstrates that crystal structures may be determined at high pressure on single crystals with a precision approaching that of room‐pressure results.