Crystal structure and melting of dynamically compressed planetary materials*

Dynamic compression experiments are important for understanding the high-pressure behavior of planetary building block materials, providing critical input for models of planetary structure, dynamics, and evolution. User facilities that couple shock and ramp compression drivers with diagnostics for x-ray diffraction and continuum velocimetry provide a means to probe materials at the conditions of deep planetary interiors. These studies can constrain equation of state, reveal crystal structure, and investigate the melting behavior of dynamically compressed materials. This talk will review recent results from National User Facilities, including the Dynamic Compression Sector of the Advanced Photon Source, the Omega Laser Facility, and the Z Machine, investigating key core and mantle materials, including iron carbide and silicate perovskite up to 600 GPa. These results provide new constraints on crystal structures, equations of state, melting behavior, and kinetics of phase transitions under extreme conditions with applications to understanding the deep interiors of the Earth and rocky exoplanets.