Thermal Conductivity of Helium and Argon at High Pressure and High Temperature

Helium (He) and argon (Ar) are important rare gases and pressure media used in diamond-anvil cell (DAC) experiments. Their thermal conductivity at high pressure–temperature (P-T) conditions is a crucial parameter for modeling heat conduction and temperature distribution within a DAC. Here we report the thermal conductivity of He and Ar over a wide range of high P-T conditions using ultrafast time-domain thermoreflectance coupled with an externally heated DAC. We find that at room temperature the thermal conductivity of liquid and solid He shows a pressure dependence of P(0.86) and P(0.72), respectively; upon heating the liquid, He at 10.2 GPa follows a T(0.45) dependence. By contrast, the thermal conductivity of solid Ar at room temperature has a pressure dependence of P(1.25), while a T(−1.37) dependence is observed for solid Ar at 19 GPa. Our results not only provide crucial bases for further investigation into the physical mechanisms of heat transport in He and Ar under extremes, but also substantially improve the accuracy of modeling the temperature profile within a DAC loaded with He or Ar. The P-T dependences of the thermal conductivity of He are important to better model and constrain the structural and thermal evolution of gas giant planets containing He.