A new study reveals that “diamond rain” on icy planets like Astronomy, suggest that this “diamond rain” forms at even lower pressures and temperatures than previously thought and provide clues into the origin of the complex magnetic fields of Neptune and Uranus.
Insights Into Planetary Magnetic Fields
“‘Diamond rain’ on icy planets presents us with an intriguing puzzle to solve,” said SLAC scientist Mungo Frost, who led the research. “It provides an internal source of heating and transports carbon deeper into the planet, which could have a significant impact on their properties and composition. It might kick off movements within the conductive ices found on these planets, influencing the generation of their magnetic fields.”
Experimentation and Observations
In earlier work conducted at SLAC’s Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL), scientists were able to observe “diamond rain” as it formed in high-pressure conditions, confirming the possibility of diamond formation on icy planets, which are primarily composed of water, ammonia, and hydrocarbons. They later discovered that the presence of oxygen makes diamond formation more likely, allowing diamonds to form and grow at a wider range of conditions and throughout more planets.
Previously, the high pressures and temperatures were generated by shock compressing the hydrocarbons with high-power lasers, which only allows the conditions to be maintained for a few nanoseconds. In this new experiment, conducted at the European X-ray free-electron laser in Germany, the team studied the reaction over much longer timescales than other experiments using a different approach.
In this experiment, the researchers subjected a plastic film, made from the hydrocarbon compound DOI: 10.1038/s41550-023-02147-x
This research was supported by DOE’s Office of Science and the National Nuclear Security Administration. LCLS is a DOE Office of Science user facility.