Determination of $P,T$-conditions developed at high-temperature shock compression of silicon nitride in planar recovery ampoules

We performed experiments on shock compression up to pressures of $36$ and $50$ GPa of mixed samples of silicon nitride and potassium bromide, placed between copper plates that serve as walls of a recovery ampoule. For comparison, similar experiments were carried out by the conventional compression of a mixture of silicon nitride and copper powder. The loading of the samples was fulfilled by means of aluminum flyers accelerated by products of explosion to a few kilometers per second. The pressure profiles prior to a shock wave entering the sample and after its runout were measured with the use of manganin sensors. It is found that for the configurations of the experimental assembly used, the pressure in the samples, accumulated by circulating the shock wave, reaches the desired value before unloading. Based on estimates of the rate of heat transfer between the components, it is shown that thermal equilibrium can be set during the existence of high pressure in the mixed samples. Within the framework of the single-temperature medium model, the equations of state of the samples are derived, and the temperatures of their shock compression are calculated. Using these equations, we performed numerical simulations that showed good agreement with the experimental data.