The double-diamond anvil cell, the poor-man's megabar pressure cell

We present a new configuration for diamond anvils used in high pressure res earch. We show how to make a gasketed diamond indentor cell (DIC) in a conv entional diamond anvil cell (DAC). Moreover, diamond anvils an order of mag nitude smaller than those currently used can easily be mounted, with minor modification. These configurations are called DIC-DACs and double DACs (D-D ACs). D-DACs have been tested to a megabar and appear to have the same rang e as a conventional DAC. D-DACs can lower the cost of diamonds for high pre ssure research by more than an order of magnitude. (C) 1999 American Instit ute of Physics. [S0034-6748(99)00412-8].