💧 A new phase of water discovered, and it is the most widespread in our Solar System
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Superionic water manifests only under extreme conditions, with temperatures of several thousand degrees and pressures exceeding a million atmospheres. In this state, oxygen atoms form a rigid crystalline lattice, while hydrogen ions move freely, allowing electricity to flow. This makes it a fundamental element for interpreting the peculiar magnetic fields observed around some planets.
Schematic representation of the microscopic structure of superionic water, where oxygen atoms form a solid crystalline lattice and hydrogen ions move freely. This extreme state, recreated with powerful lasers, is typical of planetary interiors.
Credit: Greg Stewart / SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Until recently, scientists believed that superionic water adopted a simple atomic structure, such as an ordered cubic arrangement. New work published in Nature Communications indicates that its reality is much more nuanced. Instead of a unique pattern, it combines cubic regions and hexagonal layers, creating a disordered mixture. This hybridization was detected through precise measurements with advanced X-ray lasers.
To achieve these results, two major experiments were conducted at facilities such as the LCLS in the United States and the European XFEL in Europe. Researchers compressed water to over 1.5 million atmospheres and heated it to thousands of degrees, capturing snapshots of its structure in a few trillionths of a second. These conditions reproduce those encountered deep inside giant planets.
These data closely match the most recent computer simulations and show that superionic water can adopt several structural forms. This behavior recalls that of ordinary ice, which exists in many crystals depending on temperature and pressure. Thus, water, despite its apparent simplicity, continues to surprise with its structural diversity in extreme environments.
Understanding this superionic water improves planetary models, particularly for Uranus and Neptune. By better explaining electrical conductivity, it helps interpret their atypical magnetic fields. These planets, rich in water, could harbor this phase in large quantities, making it potentially the most widespread form of water in the Solar System.
More than sixty scientists from Europe and the United States collaborated on this project, supported by German and French research agencies. Their work paves the way for a better appreciation of the composition of similar exoplanets.