EHPRG

Welcome to the official website of the European High Pressure Research Group (EHPRG).

EHPRG is non-profitable academic association established in 1963 which is devoted to science and technology of matter under high pressure. It organizes an annual meeting which brings together hundreds of scientists of various fields, mainly physics, chemistry, Earth and planetary sciences, bio- and food science and technology.

The reasonable size of the group, low conference fees, and a friendly relationship between the attendants have made EHPRG meetings a major event in the European high-pressure community for more than half a century.

Selection of high-pressure related titles from top scientific journals.

Mass student protests bring down Albania’s science minister
by Altin Raxhimi


Mass student protests bring down Albania’s science minister

Mass student protests bring down Albania’s science minister , Published online: 16 January 2019; doi:10.1038/d41586-019-00144-7

The government has bowed to pressure to fix the country’s research and higher education — but stopped short of repealing a controversial law.
16 Jan 2019 at 12:00am
Correction for Li et al., Pressure-induced phase transitions and superconductivity in a black phosphorus single crystal [Correction]
PHYSICS Correction for “Pressure-induced phase transitions and superconductivity in a black phosphorus single crystal,” by Xiang Li, Jianping Sun, Prashant Shahi, Miao Gao, Allan H. MacDonald, Yoshiya Uwatoko, Tao Xiang, John B. Goodenough, Jinguang Cheng, and Jianshi Zhou, which was first published September 14, 2018; 10.1073/pnas.1810726115 (Proc Natl Acad Sci...
15 Jan 2019 at 6:06pm
Evidence for Superconductivity above 260 K in Lanthanum Superhydride at Megabar Pressures
by Maddury Somayazulu, Muhtar Ahart, Ajay K. Mishra, Zachary M. Geballe, Maria Baldini, Yue Meng, Viktor V. Struzhkin, and Russell J. Hemley
Author(s): Maddury Somayazulu, Muhtar Ahart, Ajay K. Mishra, Zachary M. Geballe, Maria Baldini, Yue Meng, Viktor V. Struzhkin, and Russell J. Hemley


Two independent studies report superconductivity at record high temperatures in hydrogen-rich materials under extreme pressure.


[Phys. Rev. Lett. 122, 027001] Published Mon Jan 14, 2019
14 Jan 2019 at 11:00am
Multisite Exchange-Enhanced Barocaloric Response in ${\mathrm{Mn}}_{3}\mathrm{NiN}$
by David Boldrin, Eduardo Mendive-Tapia, Jan Zemen, Julie B. Staunton, Thomas Hansen, Araceli Aznar, Josep-Lluís Tamarit, Maria Barrio, Pol Lloveras, Jiyeob Kim, Xavier Moya, and Lesley F. Cohen
Author(s): David Boldrin, Eduardo Mendive-Tapia, Jan Zemen, Julie B. Staunton, Thomas Hansen, Araceli Aznar, Josep-Lluís Tamarit, Maria Barrio, Pol Lloveras, Jiyeob Kim, Xavier Moya, and Lesley F. Cohen


Experiments reveal that Mn3NiN has enormous ability to control heat flow when subjected to mechanical pressure, establishing the family of Mn-antiperovskite materials as promising tools for energy-efficient refrigeration.


[Phys. Rev. X 8, 041035] Published Wed Nov 28, 2018
28 Nov 2018 at 11:00am
Exploring the High-Pressure Materials Genome
by Maximilian Amsler, Vinay I. Hegde, Steven D. Jacobsen, and Chris Wolverton
Author(s): Maximilian Amsler, Vinay I. Hegde, Steven D. Jacobsen, and Chris Wolverton


A new framework for predicting materials behavior at high pressure combines computational approximations with extant materials data to provide a tool for discovering new materials and their properties under nonambient conditions.


[Phys. Rev. X 8, 041021] Published Fri Nov 09, 2018
9 Nov 2018 at 11:00am
Pressure-Induced Site-Selective Mott Insulator-Metal Transition in ${\mathrm{Fe}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$
by Eran Greenberg, Ivan Leonov, Samar Layek, Zuzana Konopkova, Moshe P. Pasternak, Leonid Dubrovinsky, Raymond Jeanloz, Igor A. Abrikosov, and Gregory Kh. Rozenberg
Author(s): Eran Greenberg, Ivan Leonov, Samar Layek, Zuzana Konopkova, Moshe P. Pasternak, Leonid Dubrovinsky, Raymond Jeanloz, Igor A. Abrikosov, and Gregory Kh. Rozenberg


A pressure-induced site-selective Mott transition from insulator to metal in Fe2O3 offers insight into how such transitions proceed in transition-metal compounds.


[Phys. Rev. X 8, 031059] Published Mon Sep 10, 2018
10 Sep 2018 at 12:00pm
Solids, liquids, and gases under high pressure
by Ho-Kwang Mao, Xiao-Jia Chen, Yang Ding, Bing Li, and Lin Wang
Author(s): Ho-Kwang Mao, Xiao-Jia Chen, Yang Ding, Bing Li, and Lin Wang


The effect of adding high pressure as a control parameter in solids, liquids, and gases expands opportunities to observe unexpected novel phenomena and understand matter in extreme environments. This review on high pressure science highlights subjects ranging from quantum criticality to Earth science. State-of-the-art experimental methods at megabar pressures are also discussed. The proliferation of pressure-induced phases illustrate promising new directions for this field of research.


[Rev. Mod. Phys. 90, 015007] Published Tue Mar 20, 2018
20 Mar 2018 at 11:00am
Colloquium: High pressure and road to room temperature superconductivity
by Lev P. Gor’kov and Vladimir Z. Kresin
Author(s): Lev P. Gor’kov and Vladimir Z. Kresin


Even after three decades of development, high-temperature superconductivity remains one of the most challenging theoretical and experimental areas in condensed matter physics. In this Colloquium some new discoveries in this area are reviewed and possible routes toward much higher transition temperatures are analyzed.


[Rev. Mod. Phys. 90, 011001] Published Tue Jan 09, 2018
9 Jan 2018 at 11:00am
Equations of state for supernovae and compact stars
by M. Oertel, M. Hempel, T. Klähn, and S. Typel
Author(s): M. Oertel, M. Hempel, T. Klähn, and S. Typel


What are the thermodynamic properties of matter at extreme densities, even exceeding nuclear matter density severely? How can we describe the composition of matter for such conditions, the resulting pressure, and the maximum mass of cold neutron stars? How is this affected by finite temperatures, as they occur in core collapse supernovae and in compact star mergers? This review addresses these points within the framework of constraints from experiments as well as astronomical observations.


[Rev. Mod. Phys. 89, 015007] Published Wed Mar 15, 2017
15 Mar 2017 at 11:00am
Prediction of pressure-induced stabilization of noble-gas-atom compounds with alkali oxides and alkali sulfides
by Hao Gao, Jian Sun, Chris J. Pickard, and Richard J. Needs
Author(s): Hao Gao, Jian Sun, Chris J. Pickard, and Richard J. Needs


The cubic antifluorite structure comprises a fcc sublattice of anions with cations on the tetrahedral sites. The voids in the antifluorite structure that are crucial for superionicity in ${\mathrm{Li}}_{2}\mathrm{O}$ might also act as atomic traps. Trapping of guest atoms and small molecules within ...


[Phys. Rev. Materials 3, 015002] Published Thu Jan 17, 2019
17 Jan 2019 at 11:00am
Anchoring effect of distorted octahedra on the stability and strength of platinum metal pernitrides
by Z. H. Fu, T. G. Bi, S. H. Zhang, S. Chen, E. Zurek, D. Legut, T. C. Germann, T. Lookman, and R. F. Zhang
Author(s): Z. H. Fu, T. G. Bi, S. H. Zhang, S. Chen, E. Zurek, D. Legut, T. C. Germann, T. Lookman, and R. F. Zhang


The successful preparation of platinum metal pernitrides ($\mathrm{Pm}{\mathrm{N}}_{2}$) in high-temperature and high-pressure experiments has aroused great scientific interest, since it has long been thought that these systems could not be prepared, and also because of their intriguing mechanical p...


[Phys. Rev. Materials 3, 013603] Published Tue Jan 08, 2019
8 Jan 2019 at 11:00am
Achieving accurate energetics beyond (semi-)local density functional theory: Illustrated with transition metal disulfides, ${\mathrm{Cu}}_{2}{\mathrm{ZnSnS}}_{4}$, and ${\mathrm{Na}}_{3}{\mathrm{PS}}_{4}$ related semiconductors
by Shun-Li Shang, Yi Wang, Timothy J. Anderson, and Zi-Kui Liu
Author(s): Shun-Li Shang, Yi Wang, Timothy J. Anderson, and Zi-Kui Liu


Understanding, designing, and processing functional metal sulfides are significant challenges in part because of the high temperatures and pressures and the number of secondary phases encountered in these complex systems. In particular, the underlying thermochemical properties are not well understoo...


[Phys. Rev. Materials 3, 015401] Published Wed Jan 02, 2019
2 Jan 2019 at 11:00am
Second-neighbor electron hopping and pressure induced topological quantum phase transition in insulating cubic perovskites
by Ravi Kashikar, Bramhachari Khamari, and B. R. K. Nanda
Author(s): Ravi Kashikar, Bramhachari Khamari, and B. R. K. Nanda


Perovskite structure is one of the five symmetry families suitable for exhibiting topological insulator phase. However, none of the halides and oxides stabilizing in this structure exhibit the same. Through density functional calculations on cubic perovskites (${\mathrm{CsSnX}}_{3}$; X = Cl, Br, and...


[Phys. Rev. Materials 2, 124204] Published Fri Dec 21, 2018
21 Dec 2018 at 11:00am
Pressure-tunable photonic band gaps in an entropic colloidal crystal
by Rose K. Cersonsky, Julia Dshemuchadse, James Antonaglia, Greg van Anders, and Sharon C. Glotzer
Author(s): Rose K. Cersonsky, Julia Dshemuchadse, James Antonaglia, Greg van Anders, and Sharon C. Glotzer


Materials adopting the diamond structure possess useful properties in atomic and colloidal systems and are a popular target for synthesis in colloids where a photonic band gap is possible. The desirable photonic properties of the diamond structure pose an interesting opportunity for reconfigurable m...


[Phys. Rev. Materials 2, 125201] Published Thu Dec 06, 2018
6 Dec 2018 at 11:00am
Ab initio study of the LiH phase diagram at extreme pressures and temperatures
by Sananda Biswas, Ion Errea, Matteo Calandra, Francesco Mauri, and Sandro Scandolo
Author(s): Sananda Biswas, Ion Errea, Matteo Calandra, Francesco Mauri, and Sandro Scandolo


The effect of anharmonic vibrational contributions to the finite-temperature pressure-driven B1-B2 structural phase transition of LiH is studied by using the stochastic self-consistent harmonic approximation method in combination with ab initio density functional theory and the quasiharmonic approxi...


[Phys. Rev. B 99, 024108] Published Fri Jan 18, 2019
18 Jan 2019 at 11:00am
High-pressure dc magnetic measurements on a bisdiselenazolyl radical ferromagnet using a vibrating-coil SQUID magnetometer
by Kunihiko Irie, Keisuke Shibayama, Masaki Mito, Seishi Takagi, Mamoru Ishizuka, Kristina Lekin, and Richard T. Oakley
Author(s): Kunihiko Irie, Keisuke Shibayama, Masaki Mito, Seishi Takagi, Mamoru Ishizuka, Kristina Lekin, and Richard T. Oakley


By using a vibrating-coil SQUID magnetometer, a ferromagnetic state with TC at the 30 K level is confirmed for the organic ferromagnet IBPSSEt. The high-pressure dc susceptibility has been measured in order to explore the pressure dependence on the dimensionality of the magnetic interaction network in IBPSSEt, which displays an ideal three-dimensional ferromagnetic network at 2 GPa with TC = 27.5 K. At more elevated pressures, the structure is best described in terms of a one-dimensional ferromagnetic chain.


[Phys. Rev. B 99, 014417] Published Thu Jan 17, 2019
17 Jan 2019 at 11:00am
Pressure-induced magnetism in rotated graphene bilayers
by Felix Yndurain
Author(s): Felix Yndurain


Using ab initio methods based on density functional theory, we show that rotated graphene bilayers at angles different from the magic ones can have an electronic spectrum similar to those by applying moderate external pressures. We find that for an angle of $5.{08}^{∘}$ and a pressure of 2.19 GPa, t...


[Phys. Rev. B 99, 045423] Published Thu Jan 17, 2019
17 Jan 2019 at 11:00am
Superconductivity of the hydrogen-rich metal hydride $\mathrm{L}{\mathrm{i}}_{5}\mathrm{Mo}{\mathrm{H}}_{11}$ under high pressure
by Dezhong Meng, Masafumi Sakata, Katsuya Shimizu, Yuki Iijima, Hiroyuki Saitoh, Toyoto Sato, Shigeyuki Takagi, and Shin-ichi Orimo
Author(s): Dezhong Meng, Masafumi Sakata, Katsuya Shimizu, Yuki Iijima, Hiroyuki Saitoh, Toyoto Sato, Shigeyuki Takagi, and Shin-ichi Orimo


Ternary metal hydrides are convenient and valuable systems for investigating the metallization and superconductivity of metal hydrides because they can be synthesized under mild conditions and recovered under ambient pressure. In this study, the conducting behavior and structural phase transition of...


[Phys. Rev. B 99, 024508] Published Tue Jan 15, 2019
15 Jan 2019 at 11:00am
High-pressure phases of ${\mathrm{MnCO}}_{3}$ by random structure search
by Hao-Chien Hung, Cheng-Rong Hsing, and Ching-Ming Wei
Author(s): Hao-Chien Hung, Cheng-Rong Hsing, and Ching-Ming Wei


Within the framework of density functional theory (DFT), we carry out a random structure search for an ${\mathrm{MnCO}}_{3}$ system under high pressures. The results identify a number of candidate structures under pressure ranged from 50 to 110 GPa, and we found several stable structures including t...


[Phys. Rev. B 99, 024106] Published Mon Jan 14, 2019
14 Jan 2019 at 11:00am
Electronic structure of cerium: A comprehensive first-principles study
by Li Huang and Haiyan Lu
Author(s): Li Huang and Haiyan Lu


Cerium, in which the $4f$ valence electrons live on the brink between localized and itinerant characters, exhibits varying crystal structures and therefore anomalous physical properties with respect to temperature and pressure. Understanding its electronic structure and related lattice properties is...


[Phys. Rev. B 99, 045122] Published Fri Jan 11, 2019
11 Jan 2019 at 11:00am