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Colored synthetic diamonds produced via the HPHT process

Synthetic diamond is diamond produced in a technological process. Claims of diamond synthesis were documented between 1879 and 1928 but none have been confirmed. In the 1940s, research began in the United States, Sweden and the Soviet Union to grow diamond using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and high-pressure high-temperature (HPHT) processes. The first reproducible synthesis was in 1953. CVD and HPHT still dominate the production of synthetic diamonds, whose properties vary depending on the process used. The hardness, thermal conductivity and electron mobility of some manufactured diamonds are superior to those of natural diamonds. Synthetic diamond is used in cutting and polishing tools, abrasives and heat sinks. Electronic applications of synthetic diamond are being developed, including high-power switches at power stations, high-frequency field-effect transistors and light-emitting diodes. Both CVD and HPHT diamonds can be cut into gems and produced in various colors (pictured). (Full article...)

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On this day

March 20: Nowruz (2022)

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235 – Maximinus Thrax acceded to the throne of the Roman Empire as a so-called barracks emperor, who gained power by virtue of his command of the army.
1815 – After escaping from exile in Elba, Napoleon entered Paris, beginning the period known as the Hundred Days.
1922 – The United States Navy commissioned its first aircraft carrier, USS Langley.
1942 – World War II: After being forced to flee the Philippines for Australia, U.S. Army general Douglas MacArthur (pictured) announced: "I came through and I shall return."
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Benjamin Truman (d. 1780)
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Newroz is the Kurdish celebration of Nowruz, the arrival of spring and the new year in Kurdish culture, observed in many parts of Eurasia that are historically influenced by Persian culture and Zoroastrianism. At Newroz, Kurds celebrate the victory of the legendary Kaveh the Blacksmith over the tyrant Zahhak; in the modern era, the holiday has become associated with resistance to Turkish rule. These Kurds were photographed at a celebration of Newroz in Bisaran, Iran, in 2017.

Photograph credit: Salar Arkan

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