Shock compression of quartz to 1.6 TPa: redefining a pressure standard.

Evaluation of models and theory of high-pressure material response is largely made through comparison with shock wave data, which rely on impedance match standards. The recent use of quartz as a shock wave standard has prompted a need for improved data. We report here on measurements of the quartz Hugoniot curve from 0.1-1.6 TPa. The new data, in agreement with our ab initio calculations, reveal substantial errors in the standard and have immediate ramifications for the equations of state of deuterium, helium, and carbon at pressures relevant to giant planets and other high-energy density conditions.