Ice that only melts in extreme conditions.  The mysterious substance has amazing properties

Experiments conducted in the laboratory indicated the existence of a mysterious form of ice. However, it does not start melting when the temperature exceeds 0°C. We are talking about a solid and a liquid. According to scientists, they can be found inside massive bodies containing water, such as Uranus or Neptune.

Read also: A substance linked to life has been discovered on a nearby moon. The results of the observations leave no room for doubt

During experiments, a few years ago scientists created this ice, describing it as superionized. Four years ago, they confirmed its existence and crystal structure. The most recent results on this matter are presented in Scientific reports.

As it turns out, the conclusions drawn may be crucial in the context of learning the secrets of planets such as Uranus and Neptune. Questions that researchers would like to answer include those related to the strange magnetic fields of these objects. Furthermore, superionized ice may be surprisingly common, occurring on many exoplanets, commonly called exoplanets.

Superice may exist inside objects such as Uranus and Neptune

How are they different from Earth? First of all, the pressure that can be up to two million times greater than the pressure in the Earth’s atmosphere. In turn, temperatures inside may be higher than those on the surface of the Sun. As for the structure of this unusual substance, its oxygen atoms are closed in a cubic lattice. In turn, ionized hydrogen atoms are released and flow through this network in a manner similar to the flow of electrons through metals.

In this way, superionized ice acquires conductive properties and has a higher melting point. In recent experiments using very powerful laser rays, scientists decided to treat water sandwiched between two layers of diamond with such rays. In such conditions, the temperature rises to about 4700 degrees Celsius and the pressure to two million atmospheres.

Read also: Surprising results of testing samples from asteroids! What’s in it?

The idea, of course, was to mimic the conditions expected to exist inside planets like Neptune. Using X-ray diffraction, scientists were able to see the crystalline structure of the superionized ice, although the favorable conditions only lasted for a fraction of a second. As members of the research team explain, the ice they immortalized has a cubic structure and increased conductivity compared to previous observations. It appears that the increased conductivity of this superionized ice should encourage the occurrence of the magnetic anomalies observed on Uranus and Neptune.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You May Also Like

They create solar flares in the laboratory. This experience can prove very valuable

To model the flares, team members used a device that converts bursts…

AI learns to talk to animals

message Hardware and soft November 2, 2022, 12:37 pm The…

We were able to miniaturize a unique laser. Eventually it will be widely applicable

Yesterday, 10:48 | Technology The titanium and ruby ​​laser is a unique…

The neutron camera would be a breakthrough in creating innovative materials. These numbers are amazing

Imagine, for example, that you want to depict the activity of the…