Discovery of a new form of ice at a temperature of 5000 degrees Celsius

A new crystalline phase of water, which scientists have named Ice

From snow on mountaintops to ice caps in the Arctic and Antarctica, almost all of Earth’s ice belongs to a stage called first ice._H (pronounced “ice-one-eight”), in which water atoms are arranged in hexagonal crystals.

The presence of conductive Ice XIX would explain the unusual magnetic fields detected on the two planets

Although ice is abundant on Earth, ice I_H Rare in space The most common form in the universe is thought to be “amorphous ice”, which is found in interstellar space and has no crystalline form.

All other phases of ice are in the form of crystals. Depending on temperature and pressure, water forms at least 18 forms of crystalline ice.

The new study confirms the presence of 19^Ha The oxygen atoms in water are arranged in a cubic shape, while the electrons move freely as ions, the researchers discovered in the review. Scientific reports.

To create Ice XIX, the team used a powerful X-ray laser to increase the pressure to 200 gigapascals, about 2 million times atmospheric pressure at sea level. At the same time, the sample was heated to a temperature of 5,000 degrees Celsius, which is approximately the temperature of the Sun’s surface.

Due to the freedom of movement of electrons, Ice_H It is insulating.

Researchers speculate that the new form of ice may exist in huge quantities inside Uranus and Neptune, which are known to contain abundant water.

The study estimates that the presence of conductive Ice XIX would explain the presence of unusual magnetic fields that were discovered on the two planets by Voyager 2 in the last century.

However, the mystery of magnetic fields may not be solved: researchers admit that in the extreme conditions inside Neptune and Uranus, there may be other forms of ice that remain to be discovered.