A new study published in Communications Chemistry appears to be the first to observe in a laboratory a transformation in water's atomic structure under extreme pressure, shedding light on the behavior of water on planets such as Uranus and Neptune. The researchers used a tiny water droplet between diamond tips to apply pressures beyond 222 gigapascals, about 2.2 million times the pressure we feel walking around on Earth.
Using X-ray diffraction, the team identified chemical changes in the water. Instead of becoming more symmetrical under pressure, the ice's crystal structure became lopsided and stretched, contrary to expectations. This change has implications for how water conducts heat, influences magnetic fields and affects a planet's density, all of which are important for telescope observations.
“Water beyond Earth-like conditions has more complex behavior than we ever previously imagined,” Salamat said. “It's amazing how water can behave under pressure.”
The researchers pushed ice-X beyond its known limits, creating what appears to be a new form of ice. In their paper, they write, “This transition marks the onset of a new regime of structural complexity in high-pressure H2O, redefining the upper stability limit of ice-X.”
The findings have implications for interpreting telescope data and for future missions to the outer Solar System. As Salamat put it, “When we eventually get to these worlds, what are we going to see? We're really the initial pioneers in trying to answer these questions in the laboratory.”
Analysis
Why This Matters
- Helps scientists better interpret telescope observations of exoplanets by providing a more accurate understanding of water's properties under planetary conditions.
- Could influence models of planetary interiors and magnetic fields for ice giants like Uranus and Neptune.
- Advances understanding of water's behavior under extreme conditions, with potential implications for physics and chemistry.
Background
Water is essential for life as we know it, and its presence on other planets is a key target for exploration. However, under the extreme pressures found inside planets like Uranus and Neptune, water can exist in exotic forms, such as ice-X. This study experimentally observes a new structural complexity in water at pressures beyond 222 gigapascals, providing insights into how water behaves in alien environments.
What to Watch
- Future studies may further characterize the newly observed form of water and its boundaries.
- Space missions, such as those to Uranus or Neptune, may incorporate these findings in their design.
- Telescope observations of exoplanets may be recalibrated based on this research.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedWater’s atomic structure warps under pressure like that on alien worlds.ScienceAlert: “researchers in the US put water under the kind of pressure it would experience on planets like Uranus or Neptune and found that its fundamental atomic structure changes in response.”
- SupportedA new study observes changes in water’s crystal structure at pressures exceeding 222 gigapascals.ScienceAlert: “The researchers placed a tiny water droplet between two diamond tips to apply the pressure, cranking it up to beyond 222 gigapascals (GPa).”
- SupportedThe study appears to be the first laboratory observation of this transformation in water’s atomic structure.ScienceAlert: “This kind of transformation has previously been predicted in simulations, but this appears to be the first time scientists have been able to observe it in the lab.”
- SupportedResearchers applied pressure to a tiny water droplet between diamond tips, exceeding 222 gigapascals—about 2.2 million times the pressure people feel on Earth.ScienceAlert: “The researchers placed a tiny water droplet between two diamond tips to apply the pressure, cranking it up to beyond 222 gigapascals (GPa). That's about 2.2 million times the pressure we feel walking around on Earth.”
- SupportedThe ice’s crystal structure became lopsided and stretched rather than more symmetrical under pressure.ScienceAlert: “Ordinarily, you would expect squashed atoms to become more symmetrical as they bunch up in tighter arrangements, but that's not what happened here. The ice's crystal structure became more lopsided and stretched.”
- SupportedThe structural change has implications for heat conduction, magnetic fields and planetary density, which matter for telescope observations.ScienceAlert: “the water becomes less symmetrical and more warped, atomically – which has implications for how it conducts heat, influences magnetic fields, and affects the density of a planet, all of which are important for telescope observations and interpretations.”
- SupportedSalamat said, “Water beyond Earth-like conditions has more complex behavior than we ever previously imagined.”ScienceAlert: “"Water beyond Earth-like conditions has more complex behavior than we ever previously imagined," says physicist Ashkan Salamat, from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.”
- SupportedSalamat said, “It's amazing how water can behave under pressure.”ScienceAlert: “"It's amazing how water can behave under pressure."”
- SupportedResearchers pushed ice-X beyond its known limits, creating what appears to be a new form of ice.ScienceAlert: “Here, the team pushed ice-X beyond its known limits, creating something that looks new – though further study will be needed to know for sure.”
- SupportedThe researchers wrote, “This transition marks the onset of a new regime of structural complexity in high-pressure H2O, redefining the upper stability limit of ice-X.”ScienceAlert: “"This transition marks the onset of a new regime of structural complexity in high-pressure H 2 O, redefining the upper stability limit of ice-X," write the researchers in their published paper.”
- SupportedThe findings have implications for interpreting telescope data and future missions to the outer Solar System.ScienceAlert: “Studying far-off planets involves a lot of educated guesswork and careful interpretation of what telescopes report back, and this study can help. ... in knowing what to expect when we get there – if our probes and spaceships are going to make it deeper into the Solar System.”
- SupportedSalamat said, “When we eventually get to these worlds, what are we going to see? We're really the initial pioneers in trying to answer these questions in the laboratory.”ScienceAlert: “"When we eventually get to these worlds, what are we going to see? We're really the initial pioneers in trying to answer these questions in the laboratory."”
