Audio created using Google's Notebook LM https://notebooklm.google.com/notebook/3e21a916-22c7-4a07-a739-221fe9afe7be/audio
1. The Discovery
Scientists have long suspected that deep inside the ice giants—Neptune and Uranus—water can exist in an exotic state known as superionic ice. In this state, molecules become so compressed that hydrogen ions can move like a fluid through a lattice of oxygen atoms. It’s neither a traditional liquid nor a regular solid, and its properties lie somewhere in between.
- Laboratory Tests: In 2018, researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory used lasers to create high-pressure conditions mimicking planetary interiors. They found compelling evidence that superionic ice can form when pressures and temperatures are extremely high—pressures on the order of millions of atmospheres and temperatures of thousands of degrees.
- Implications: This substance could explain peculiarities in the magnetic fields of Neptune and Uranus. Instead of one strong dipole field (like Earth’s north and south poles), these planets exhibit strangely offset or skewed fields. Superionic ice, which might conduct electricity differently from ordinary fluids, could help us understand these bizarre fields.
2. Why It’s Not Widely Known
- Complex Experimental Setup: Studying superionic ice isn’t as simple as examining typical states of water in a regular lab. Researchers need to replicate the immense pressures and extreme heat found thousands of kilometers beneath a planet’s surface—conditions that require specialized equipment like powerful lasers and diamond-anvil cells.
- Recent Development: The research confirming superionic ice is relatively new (from the last decade). It hasn’t had the same media coverage as major discoveries like exoplanets or black holes.
- Very Specialized Field: Planetary interior physics sits at the intersection of astrophysics, high-pressure physics, and chemistry. Information about superionic ice usually remains tucked away in scientific journals rather than prime-time documentaries.
3. Why It’s Important
- Improved Planetary Models: If superionic ice is indeed present, it changes how we think of planetary formation and evolution. Models for ice giants would need to incorporate layers of this material.
- Magnetic Fields: Understanding the internal composition of these planets helps explain oddities in their magnetic fields, which is crucial for comprehensive planetary science.
- Exoplanet Studies: Many exoplanets—worlds outside our solar system—may share characteristics with Uranus and Neptune. Insights about superionic ice could apply to understanding countless other planets across the galaxy.
4. An Analogy
Imagine a block of ice where the oxygen atoms sit in a rigid lattice like a group of people standing in place. Meanwhile, the hydrogen atoms flow rapidly between them, almost like a crowd of children running around those standing adults. It’s still “ice,” but the hydrogen is mobile and liquid-like—creating something that defies our usual definitions of solid versus liquid.
In Summary
Although superionic ice isn’t an outright secret among researchers, the general public rarely hears about it. It offers a glimpse into the extreme and exotic physics that occur deep inside ice giants, possibly explaining unusual magnetic fields and shaping the way we model planet formation. It’s a perfect example of a discovery that exists in scientific circles but remains largely uncharted territory in everyday knowledge.
Sources
- Militzer, B., Wilson, H. F., Gygi, F. et al. (2010). First-Principles Calculations of the Sound Velocity of Dense Hydrogen. Physical Review Letters. https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.105.195701
- Goncharov, A. F., Beck, P., Struzhkin, V. V. et al. (2019). Laser Heating in Diamond Anvil Cells: Developments and Applications. Chemical Reviews. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19844012/
- Millot, M., Coppari, F., Rygg, J. R. et al. (2018). Experimental evidence for superionic water ice using shock compression. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-017-0017-4
