Heat capacity measurement under high pressure: A finite element method assessment

Heat capacity of high pressure minerals is a major factor controlling the Earth's internal evolution. Although heat capacity has been approximately estimated using physical models (i.e., Debye or Kieffer model), there is no experimental data available under pressure conditions exceeding 2 GPa. An innovation for heat capacity measurement under high pressure was achieved by Osako in terms of simultaneous thermal conductivity/diffusivity measurements under high pressure. Although the preliminary heat capacity values are consistent with those at ambient pressure, the technique can be further developed to be the standard method to measure heat capacity under ultra high pressure. Finite element analysis conducted in this study relieved fundamental concerns regarding the new technique for heat capacity measurements.