  Warm dense matter is present at the heart of gas giants and large
exo-planets. Yet, its most basic properties are unknown and limit our
understanding of planetary formation and evolution. In this state, where
pressure climbs above 1 Mbar, matter is strongly coupled and quantum
degenerate. This combination invalidates most theories capable of predicting
the equation of state, the viscosity or heat conductivity of the material. When
such properties are missing, understanding planetary evolution becomes an
arduous endeavor. Henceforth, research in this field is actively growing, using
high power laser or heavy ion beams to produce samples dense enough to overcome
the 1 Mbar limit. These samples are not actively confined and tend to expand
rapidly, precluding the existence of any thermodynamically stable equilibrium.
However, a mega-ampere-class pulsed-power generator can produce confined matter
in the Mbar range, providing two conditions are being met. First, the sample
needs to be compressed cylindrically, to maximize magnetic pressure (compared
to slab compression). Second, a damper must be used to preclude the formation
of a corona around the sample. This corona robs the main sample from valuable
current and limits the homogeneity of the compression. According to numerical
simulations, the setup proposed here, and called a magnetic anvil cell, can
reach pressure on the order of 1 Mbar using a mega-ampere pulsed power driver.
These samples span several millimeters in length. Unlike diamond anvil cell,
which pressure is limited below 1 Mbar due to materials strength, the magnetic
anvil cell has virtually no pressure limit. Further, the current heats the
sample to several eV, a temperature well beyond diamond anvil cell
capabilities.
