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Physics

How strange ice could form in the extremely hot interiors of planets

In an experiment simulating what happens deep in the interiors of planets, scientists have found that liquid can be compressed into ice crystals – even at extremely high temperatures

By Karmela Padavic-Callaghan

28 August 2024

Planet Venus on a dark background. Elements of this image furnished by NASA. High quality photo; Shutterstock ID 2396628567; purchase_order: -; job: -; client: -; other: -

We are closer to understanding how liquid behaves in the interiors of planets, such as Venus

Artsiom P/Shutterstock

Researchers have compressed super-hot liquids between diamonds to demystify how fluids behave under extreme conditions, such as in the interiors of planets.

Physicists have struggled to track how a liquid’s density changes at extreme temperatures and pressures. To overcome this challenge, John Proctor at the University of Salford in the UK and his colleagues have used diamonds and lasers.

The researchers compressed several liquids including water, methane and ethane…

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