Understanding the structure of matter at high pressures and temperatures found at planetary core conditions is essential for understanding the structure and evolution of the Earth and other planets, including the thousands of exoplanets that have been discovered in recent years. Here, I will discuss different techniques to generate high pressure states and their limitations. Specifically I will discuss the now standard setup for performing dynamic compression following shock compression at FELs , and in discussing the limitations of this technique, I will describe a novel setup I have developed to increase our sensisitivity to the onset of phase transitions. Finally, looking forward I will discuss the developments underway at SLAC that in combination with this new experimental geometry make it a unique place to conduct extreme conditions science.
