Cosmic gems: Why do diamonds fall on some planets?

Not all planets rain water as it does on Earth. LandIn fact, this is the only place this happens because it has already happened Liquid water on the roof. There were already records of rainfall on certain planets Precious stones. This is the situation Neptune And Uranuswhere there is a large amount of Methane Which in turn contains carbon. When this material is crushed due to the great pressures it is exposed to Ambiancethey pose Diamond Which ends up falling as rain.

An international team of researchers led by specialists from US Department of Energy National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC).In California, she and her colleagues gained new insights into the formation of diamond showers on icy planets, such as Neptune and Uranus, using the European X-ray laser XFEL at Schenfeld. The results were published in the journal Nature astronomyProvides clues about the formation of these planets' complex magnetic fields.

In previous research using X-ray lasers, scientists discovered this Diamond It should consist of compounds carbon Inside the big one Gaseous planets Because of the high pressure that prevails there.

These items would then sink deeper inside like a shower of gems emanating from the upper layers. So, When it is very hot and the atmosphere is very dense, the pressure and high temperatures form diamonds that accumulate. It gets heavier and rainier.

A new experiment in the European XFEL showed that Diamond formation From carbon compounds it begins Pressures and temperatures are lower than expected. For gas planets, this means that diamond rain actually forms at a shallower depth than previously thought, and thus could have a stronger effect on the formation of magnetic fields.

In addition, diamond rain is also possible on gas planets smaller than Neptune and Uranus, called “Mini Neptune“These stars do not exist in our solar system, but they have been recorded as exoplanets outside the solar system.

On its way from the outer layers to the inner layers of planets, diamond rain can carry gas and ice, causing streams of energy-conducting frozen water. The currents of this type of conductive fluid act as a kind of dynamo through which the magnetic fields of the planets are formed.

the Diamond rain may influence the formation of complex magnetic fields Uranus and Neptune, as the specialists concluded in their document.

The group of researchers used a plastic film made of polystyrene, a hydrocarbon compound, as a carbon source. The diamonds are formed from the plate under very high pressure, a process that occurs in the same way as within planets and can be reproduced at the European XFEL.

Using diamond cells and lasers, scientists were able to generate the high pressure and temperature of more than 2,200 degrees Celsius prevalent inside frozen gas giants. The stamp cells work like a small vise in which the sample is compressed between two diamonds. With the help of XFEL's X-ray pulses, the time, conditions and sequence of diamond formation in the stamp cell can be precisely observed.

The international working team also included scientists from the European XFEL, the German research centers DESY in Hamburg, the Helmholtz Center in Dresden-Rossendorf, as well as other research institutions and universities from different countries. The European XFEL Users Federation HIBEF, in which the research centers HZDR and DESY participate, contributed significantly to this work.

* Mongo Frost He is a researcher in the High Energy Density Sciences Division at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in California, USA.