查看更多>>摘要:Evidence for metallization in dense oxygen has been reported for over 30 years[Desgreniers et al.,J.Phys.Chem.94,1117(1990)]at a now routinely accessible 95 GPa[Shimizu et al.,Nature 393,767(1998)].However,despite the longevity of this result and the technological advances since,the nature of the metallic phase remains poorly constrained[Akahama et al.,Phys.Rev.Lett.74,4690(1995);Goncharov et al.,Phys.Rev.B 68,224108(2003);Ma,Phys.Rev.B 76,064101(2007);and Weck et al.,Phys.Rev.Lett.102,255503(2009)].In this work,through Raman spectroscopy,we report the distinct vibrational characteristics of metallic ζ-O2 from 85 to 225 GPa.In comparison with numerical simulations,we find reasonable agreement with the C2/m candidate structure up to about 150 GPa.At higher pressures,the C2/m structure is found to be unstable and incompatible with experimental observations.Alternative candidate structures,C2/c and Ci,with only two molecules in the primitive unit cell,are found to be stable and more compatible with measurements above 175 GPa,indicative of the dissociation of(O2)4 units.Further,we report and discuss a strong hysteresis and metastability with the precursory phase ε-O2.These findings will reinvigorate experimental and theoretical work into the dense oxygen system,which will have importance for oxygen-bearing chemistry,prevalent in the deep Earth,as well as fundamental physics.