Compression of Spin-Polarized Hydrogen to High Density

A new technique enabled the authors to compress doubly polarized hydrogen by up to five orders of magnitude and study the sample in very small volumes at constant density up to 2×{}10¹⁸/cm³. The first determination of the bulk three-body dipolar recombination rate was made, KV³ᵇ=4(1)×10^-39 cm⁶ s^-1. The authors also identified a new process, bulk electronic dipolar b→c-state relaxation with rate constant GVᵇᶜexp(2μBBkBT)=8(4)×10^-16 cm³ s^-1. Samples were very delicate and too rapid a compression could result in an explosion.