Predictions from the equation of state of cerium yield interesting insights into experimental results

Abstract
There has been much interest in the past in understanding the dynamic properties of phase changing materials. In this paper we begin to explore the dynamic properties of the complex material cerium. Cerium metal is a good candidate material to explore capabilities in determining a dynamic phase diagram on account of the relatively low pressures required for phase transitions, namely, the γ−α, and α-liquid phase boundaries. Here we present a combination of experimental results with calculated results to try to understand the dynamic behavior of the material. Using the front surface impact technique, we performed a series of experiments which displayed a rarefaction shock upon release. These experiments show that the reversion shock stress occurs at different magnitudes, allowing us to plot the γ−α phase boundary. When we include information from a multi-phase equation of state developed for cerium a broader understanding of the experimental results is obtained.