TOMSK, Jul 9 - RIA Tomsk. Physicists of TSU together with scientists from Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Germany and Korea discovered new nanomechanical properties of diamonds mined at the "Skalnoye" deposit of the Popigay Astrobleme (meteorite crater in Siberia); these data will help to expand the scope of found minerals, the press service of the university reported on Tuesday.
It is specified that the Popigay Astrobleme - is a meteor crater located in the basin of the Popigai River, partly in Krasnoyarsk Krai, partly in Yakutia. Its diameter - is approximately 100 kilometers; it is the fourth largest crater in the world. The astrobleme was formed about 35 million years ago during the impact of a giant meteorite in a rocky ridge, and was discovered in 1946.
"Skalnoye" contains more diamonds than all the kimberlite deposits of the world. These diamonds are also used as optical materials in laser systems. <...> Using a combination of experimental and theoretical methods, scientists have proved: this kind of mineral is able to resist all-round compression more strongly than “ideal” specimens”, - is said in the statement.
It is added that within the framework of the project, supported by the D.I. Mendeleev Fund Program of TSU, physics of the university together with scientists from Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Germany and Korea studied the structure and mechanical properties of diamonds formed as a result of geological processes that began after the fall of the meteorite.
During the experiment, they were able for the first time to obtain the modulus of bulk elasticity of diamond (the ability of a substance to resist all-round compression). The article "Unique Nanomechanical Properties of Diamond - Lonsdaleite Biphases: Combined Experimental and Theoretical Consideration of Popigai Impact Diamonds" with the results of researches was published in the Nano Letters journal."The obtained results expand the scope of found diamonds, for example, in scientific experiments in the fields of quantum physics, optics, laser technology, space research, in which errors are unacceptable", - the leading expert of Laboratory for Molecular Photophysics and Photochemistry of the TSU Faculty of Physics Pavel Avramov is quoted in the message.