HPCAT is a research consortium to advance compression science in multidisciplinary fields using synchrotron radiation. The consortium operates Sector 16 at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) of Argonne National Laboratory, where four simultaneously operational beamlines have been established with an array of x-ray probes optimized for high-pressure research using x-ray diffraction, x-ray spectroscopy, and x-ray imaging techniques.
The HPCAT project started in 1999. The beamlines at sector 16 received the first beam in the experimental hutch in late 2002.
In July 2018, Argonne National Laboratory took over the operations management role for HPCAT, a role that had been previously been filled by the Carnegie Institution of Washington. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratory, Chicago DOE Alliance Center (CDAC), and the Stewardship Science Academic Alliances (SSAA) Program, are principal stakeholders in the HPCAT team.
The sponsor continues to be the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) of the U.S. Department of Energy.
HPCAT Mission Statement
A frontier synchrotron facility for advancing compression science and technology in multidisciplinary fields