  We investigated the effects of uniaxial stress on the pressure-induced
alpha-to-omega transition in pure titanium (Ti) by means of angle dispersive
x-ray diffraction in a diamond-anvil cell. Experiments under four different
pressure environments reveal that: (1) the onset of the transition depends on
the pressure medium used, going from 4.9 GPa (no pressure medium) to 10.5 GPa
(argon pressure medium); (2) the a and w phases coexist over a rather large
pressure range, which depends on the pressure medium employed; (3) the
hysteresis and quenchability of the w phase is affected by differences in the
sample pressure environment; and (4) a short term laser-heating of Ti lowers
the alpha-to-omega transition pressure. Possible transition mechanisms are
discussed in the light of the present results, which clearly demonstrated the
influence of uniaxial stress in the alpha-to-omega transition.
