Ultrasonic sound speed measurements via Impulsive Stimulated Light Scattering (ISLS) were made in single crystals of b-HMX and tantalum over an extended range of temperatures. Elastic constants are consequently determined for b-HMX. Sound speeds are calculated for tantalum, from known elastic constants, and compare favorably with the results presented here. ISLS time-domain fits of tantalum records allowed for thermal diffusion determinations and, correspondingly, thermal conductivity. Measurements of the speed of sound and of the thermal diffusivities of fluid oxygen up to pressures of 13 GPa and at several temperatures are presented. Between 0.1 and 13 GPa the fluid's density increases by a factor of three. Thermal diffusivities rise slowly over this range, and are substantially smaller than those previously measured for the solid b-phase. Additional sound speed measurements were made along the 250 C isotherm in a 1:1 molar ratio mixture of liquid oxygen and nitrogen. These experiments demonstrate the versatility and potential application of a new laboratory within the U. S. DOD and DOE complex.
