According to a new study, "diamond rain," a long-hypothesized sort of precipitation on Neptune and Uranus more frequently than previously thought.
Scientists Experiment on the Formation of Diamonds on Neptune and Uranus
According to Space.com, a team of scientists who conducted experiments with material similar to that found in ice giants like Neptune and Uranus found that the presence of oxygen increases the likelihood of diamond formation and that diamonds can form in low temperatures and pressures.
These planets' interiors are similar in that they both have solid cores around by a thick mix of various ices.
In this particular study, the researchers mimicked the composition of these planets (more precisely this time) using PET plastic, as they also included oxygen, which is widely available on Neptune and Uranus, according to Eurekalert.
It should be noted that previously, the team of scientists only experimented on a sort of plastic material composed of a hydrogen and carbon mixture.
What Did the Scientists Discover
Scientists were able to see "diamond rain" for the first time as it developed in high-pressure settings in an experiment intended to imitate the conditions deep inside the ice giant planets of our solar system.
By using the Matter in Extreme Conditions (MEC) instrument at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), an X-ray free-electron laser at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, researchers were able to mimic the environment present inside these planets. SLAC is one of ten Office of Science laboratories operated by the Department of Energy (DOE).
The authors of the study estimate that diamonds on Uranus and Neptune will become significantly larger, from its initial nanometers size, possibly reaching weights of millions of carats. Another theory put out by researchers is that over countless years, diamonds may have slowly sunk through the planets' ice layers and built up into a thick coating surrounding the core, according to SLAC.
This implies that diamonds could develop in a range of environments on these icy planets. According to Space.com, as a result, this would increase the likelihood of diamond showers pouring into the interiors of ice giants.
"Previously, researchers could only assume that the diamonds had formed," said Dominik Kraus, scientist at Helmholtz Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf and lead author on the publication.
The scientists also discovered that superionic water, also known as "hot black ice," a novel phase of water, formed alongside the diamonds.
Previous Studies About the Recreation of Diamond Rain Failed
According to SLAC, previous studies that attempted to replicate diamond rain under comparable circumstances were unable to capture measurements in real time.
This is primarily due to a lack of equipment to establish the extreme conditions needed for small diamonds to grow in the lab, which only happens for a very short period of time. The LCLS's femtosecond (or quadrillionth of a second) X-ray pulses and MEC's high-energy optical lasers allowed the researchers to precisely monitor the chemical process.
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