The image at left is a schematic drawing of a Diamond-Anvil Cell, DAC. Briefly, a DAC uses two opposing diamonds with flattened tips as pressure-generating surfaces, and the sample of interest is contained in a gasket between the anvils. Diamond is transparent to a large portion of the electromagnetic spectrum which allows optical, x-ray, and infrared analyses to be made. We use synchrotron radiation at national laboratories as well as sources from our own laboratory for Raman , IR, and optical spectroscopy for making in situ analyses at high pressures and temperatures.

The National Light Source (NSLS) of Brookhaven National Lab has a beamline dedicated to making measurements with synchrotron infrared radiation at high pressure (U2A). This is particularly useful for making far infrared (FIR) as well as NIR and optical measurements to study materials held under compression.

Colorado College is a member institution of COMPRES: COnsortium for Materials Properties Research in Earth Sciences.