Workshop on On-line Brillouin Spectroscopy at GSECARS: Basic Principles and Application for High Pressure Research
Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois, USA
September 23-25, 2009
Contact: Vitali Prakapenka (organizer); Jay Bass (organizer); Stanislav Sinogeikin (organizer).

The main advantage of combining Brillouin spectroscopy (BS) with high-resolution x-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques is the ability to perform simultaneous measurements of velocities and elastic moduli (by Brillouin spectroscopy) and the volume/density (by XRD), independent of any pressure standard. With this unique system, located in the 13BM-D station (GSECARS, APS), it is now possible to study materials with BS and XRD in situ at high pressure-temperature conditions that provide information essential for interpreting seismic observations and constraining models of the composition and evolution of the Earth. Although the system is designed to be very user-friendly, successful BS measurements at high pressure using diamond anvils requires special preparation and a thorough understanding of the peculiarities of the on-line high pressure BS technique. To help our users make the best use of this exceptional technique, we are organizing this COMPRES/GSECARS-supported workshop focusing on the major topics relevant to high pressure research using Brillouin spectroscopy combined with high-resolution x-ray diffraction techniques. The workshop will cover the following topics:

• fundamental aspects of Brillouin scattering
• experimental challenges of BS and XRD at high pressures and temperatures
• plenary lectures
• contributed presentations
• hands-on demonstrations
• software for data collection and analysis
• suggestions for future proposals