Melting of dense sodium

Phys Rev Lett. 2005 May 13;94(18):185502. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.94.185502. Epub 2005 May 13.

Abstract

High-pressure high-temperature synchrotron diffraction measurements reveal a maximum on the melting curve of Na in the bcc phase at approximately 31 GPa and 1000 K and a steep decrease in melting temperature in its fcc phase. The results extend the melting curve by an order of magnitude up to 130 GPa. Above 103 GPa, Na crystallizes in a sequence of phases with complex structures with unusually low melting temperatures, reaching 300 K at 118 GPa, and an increased melting temperature is observed with further increases in pressure.