Density of phonon states in iron at high pressure

The lattice dynamics of the hexagonal close-packed (hcp) phase of iron was studied with nuclear inelastic absorption of synchrotron radiation at pressures from 20 to 42 gigapascals. A variety of thermodynamic parameters were derived from the measured density of phonon states for hcp iron, such as Debye temperatures, Gruneisen parameter, mean sound velocities, and the lattice contribution to entropy and specific heat. The results are of geophysical interest, because hcp iron is considered to be a major component of Earth's inner core.