Melting of indium at high pressure determined by monochromatic x-ray diffraction in an externally-heated diamond anvil cell

The melting behavior of indium at high pressure has been studied in an externally heated diamond anvil cell (DAC) using x-ray diffraction measurements. Melting at high pressure was identified by the appearance of diffuse scattering from the melt with the simultaneous disappearance of crystalline diffraction signals. The observed melting curve is in good agreement with previous determinations based on resistivity measurements in a piston cylinder apparatus. These results demonstrate the successful melting experiments in a DAC using the x-ray diffuse scattering as the melting criterion.