Fly scan apparatus for high pressure research using diamond anvil cells.

The hardware and software used to execute fly scans at Sector 16 of the Advanced Photon Source are described. The system design and capabilities address dimensions and time scales relevant to samples in high pressure diamond anvil cells. The time required for routine sample positioning and centering is significantly reduced, and more importantly, the time savings associated with fly scanning make it feasible for users to routinely generate two-dimensional x-ray transmission and x-ray diffraction maps. Consequently, this facilitates an important shift in high pressure research as experimentalists embrace the study of heterogeneous and minute sample volumes in the diamond anvil cell.