Tag: Diamond rain

‘Diamond rain’ on icy planets offers clues into magnetic field mysteries

‘Diamond rain’ on icy planets offers clues into magnetic field mysteries

A new experiment suggests that this exotic precipitation forms at even lower pressures and temperatures than previously thought and could influence the unusual magnetic fields of Neptune and Uranus.

An international team of researchers led by researchers from the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory gained new insights into the formation of diamonds on icy planets such as Neptune and Uranus. Scientists believe that, following their formation, these diamonds would slowly sink deeper into the planetary interior in response to gravitational forces, resulting in a ‘rain’ of precious stones from higher layers. 

The results, published today in Nature 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. 

“‘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.”

Longer timescales

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.  

Read more on the SLAC website

‘Diamond rain’ on giant icy planets could be more common than previously thought

‘Diamond rain’ on giant icy planets could be more common than previously thought

Researchers at SLAC found that oxygen boosts this exotic precipitation, revealing a new path to make nanodiamonds here on Earth.

A new study has found that “diamond rain,” a long-hypothesized exotic type of precipitation on ice giant planets, could be more common than previously thought. 

In an earlier experiment, researchers mimicked the extreme temperatures and pressures found deep inside ice giants Neptune and Uranus and, for the first time, observed diamond rain as it formed.

Investigating this process in a new material that more closely resembles the chemical makeup of Neptune and Uranus, scientists from the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and their colleagues discovered that the presence of oxygen makes diamond formation more likely, allowing them to form and grow at a wider range of conditions and throughout more planets.

The new study provides a more complete picture of how diamond rain forms on other planets and, here on Earth, could lead to a new way of fabricating nanodiamonds, which have a very wide array of applications in drug delivery, medical sensors, noninvasive surgery, sustainable manufacturing, and quantum electronics.

“The earlier paper was the first time that we directly saw diamond formation from any mixtures,” said Siegfried Glenzer, director of the High Energy Density Division at SLAC. “Since then, there have been quite a lot of experiments with different pure materials. But inside planets, it’s much more complicated; there are a lot more chemicals in the mix. And so, what we wanted to figure out here was what sort of effect these additional chemicals have.”

The team, led by the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and the University of Rostock in Germany, as well as France’s École Polytechnique in collaboration with SLAC, published the results today in Science Advances. 

Read more on the SLAC website