Shock compression of liquid nitrogen at a pressure of 320 GPa

The experimental data on the shock compression of liquid nitrogen in the megabar pressure range are reported. The experiments have been performed with a spherical measuring setup in which pressure is created by the impact of a steel shell accelerated to a velocity of 23 km/s on the samples. The density of shock-compressed nitrogen at a pressure of about 320 GPa is about 3.4 g/cm³ (compression degree of about 4.2). The experimental data are described using a model equation of state.