A group of American physicists led by professor at the University of Chicago Vitali Prakapenka first obtained superionic ice in laboratory conditions - a state of water in which a rigid crystal lattice is formed from oxygen ions, and hydrogen ions move freely along it. Information about this was recently published in the subject journal Nature Physics.
Previously, scientists only once managed to obtain superionic ice (the so-called Ice XVIII) in laboratory conditions. This was done in a dynamic experiment in which a drop of water clamped in a diamond vise was exposed to a shock wave generated by a laser. As a result, superionic ice was formed, which existed for only a few moments.
In the new experiment, the scientists took a different approach. They used a diamond vise to reproduce high-intensity pressures comparable to those seen in planetary cores. They then used the Advanced Photon Source synchrotron to generate bright beams of X-ray radiation to heat a water droplet to extreme temperatures. During the experiment, it was also found that the formation of superionic ice does not require a pressure of 50 GPa, as previously thought. A sample of the unusual material was obtained at a pressure of 20 GPa.
“Imagine a cube, the lattice of which contains oxygen ions at the corners and hydrogen ions around them. As it enters a new superionic phase, the lattice expands, allowing hydrogen ions to move while oxygen ions remain in place. It looks like a solid oxygen lattice located in an ocean of floating hydrogen atoms, ” one of the scientists commented on the experiment.
It is noted that superionic ice exists not only on distant planets, but also on Earth. According to scientists, it plays a certain role in maintaining the magnetic field of our planet, which protects the Earth's surface from cosmic radiation. Planets like Mars or Mercury do not have a magnetic field, which makes them susceptible to the aggressive effects of cosmic radiation and other factors. Scientists believe that the study of superionic ice could play an important role in the search for planets on which life can exist.
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