High-pressure Mössbauer study of SnSe

SnSe is a member of the IV-VI family of binary compounds which have orthorhombic structure and are layered, exhibiting properties that place SnSe intermediate between two- and three-dimensional crystals. M\"ossbauer measurements have been made on SnSe under hydrostatic pressure in the range 0.001 to 55 kbar. The results are interpreted with respect to interlayer and intralayer bonding. Two ranges of response to the pressure were found: (1) a lower-pressure range (below 30 kbar), in which measurable changes in isomer shift and quadrupole splitting were found, and (2) a higher-pressure range (between 30 and 55 kbar), where no further changes were found. The lower-pressure range is interpreted as a range in which the interlayer bonds are changed.